Neapolitan
by CiaraShayee
Summary: He was the beautiful blond-haired stranger from the bar, and she was the pretty brunette bar-maid who couldn't resist him. Together, they burned. Apart, they were cold. As cold as the ice cream trickling over the fingers of a little boy with strawberry hair. There are a million different flavors of ice cream out there worth trying, or maybe just one; Neapolitan.
1. Chapter One

**Hello there :)**

 **So...this was a little entry I wrote for the Carlisle Uncovered  
** **contest...a few months ago, I think. I always intended to expand it,  
** **especially because of the reaction to the initial entry which  
** **resulted in it winning the WHIPLASH AWARD! Such an amazing  
** **first contest to be a part of, so thank you to everyone who voted  
** **and to all involved in running it.**

 **Anyways, this ventures away from my usual pairings and explores a  
different kind of family than what I'm used to writing, but I'm  
loving it and I hope you'll love reading it. It's looking like  
around ten chapters or so, but we'll see. If you've read my other  
stories, you'll know I tend to get a little wordy and my characters  
often run away without me *teehee***

 **I'm planning to update weekly on Thursdays, so add it to your calendars ;)  
**

 **Big thank you to the wonderful** SunflowerFran **for being her amazing  
** **self and tidying this up for me! I tinkered with a few little bits here and  
** **there, so any mistakes left are all mine.**

 **~ oOo ~**

 **Neapolitan**

 _He was the beautiful blond-haired stranger from the bar, and she was the pretty brunette barmaid who couldn't resist him. Together, they burned. Apart, they were cold. As cold as the ice cream trickling over the fingers of a little boy with strawberry hair. There are a million different flavors of ice cream out there worth trying, or maybe just one; Neapolitan._

 **~ oOo ~**

 **Chapter One**

 _ **August 27**_ _ **th,**_ _ **2011 - BELLA**_

"Excuse me! Excuse me, Sir! You've left your…huh. All right then."

Bella picked up the wallet, looking up just in time to see the back of its owner as he left the bar. It had been a busy night, so she hadn't even gotten a good look at his face. If he came back looking it was pretty unlikely she'd recognize him.

"Hey Bells, what'cha got there?"

"Wallet. Some guy left it behind. I'll put it in the lost and found before I lock up."

Jake grinned from behind the bar, his eyes half-lidded; he looked exhausted. Bella remembered the days of being up all night, changing diapers with your eyes closed and realizing the next morning you'd put the dirty diaper in your washing hamper instead of the trash, and putting your clothes on backwards for important job interviews.

 _Or maybe that's just me, who knows_.

"Jake, go home, man. You look beat. Get some sleep and cuddle your wife, or something."

"Nah, it's okay, Bells. I can't leave you to do all this." Jake gestured round at the glasses littering, well…pretty much every surface. There was a sizeable spill on the dance floor that would need mopping, and some drunkard had knocked over an olive jar. The smell of the brine they'd been floating in still clung to the air. It would take Bella hours to get everything cleaned up by herself, but to be fair, Jake didn't look like he'd be a whole lot of help anyway.

He was dead on his feet.

Bringing the forgotten wallet with her, Bella made her way back around the bar, taking the glass and towel from Jake's hand – he'd been drying the same glass for almost ten minutes, by then – and set them down on the bar, ushering him towards the stairs to the apartment above. " _Go home_ , Jacob Black. Rebecca would love to see you, and you need the sleep."

He gave her a sleepy smile, black eyes bloodshot. "Thanks, Bells. You're the best."

"Mmhm, and you're slurring. Get lost, JB."

"I'll give you that raise soon, Bells. Night."

"Yeah, yeah."

Bella loved her job at Jake's bar but it wasn't exactly helping her pay off any of her crippling student loans. Everyone encouraged kids to go to college, but it seemed nobody wanted to help pay off the debts it engendered.

At eighteen, Bella had planned to own her own business one day. But at twenty-four, she was nowhere near that goal. She was currently working five nights a week at JBs, the other two at a grill down the street. Jake promised her a pay rise every six months or so, but since his son JB Junior had been born nine months ago and staged a war against the sleeping patterns of his parents, he'd been a walking zombie and Bella had taken up the slack for him.

Which was great…until it meant she was up 'til two a.m. serving, with at least two more hours of cleaning to do. And she had a brunch tomorrow; Bella's mom would kill her if she cancelled again.

 _Maybe I could get Edward to tell her_ …

It was an idea to ponder while she battled with the broken mop handle and attempted to cleanse JBs of the suspicious spillage on the dance floor seeping ever-closer to the speakers.

In her three years working there, Bella had managed to talk Jake into various purchases. Her favorite? The jukebox in the corner. Flicking the switch at the back, she picked a few songs to get started with and headed off in search of the cleaning supplies.

Laden with a mop, bucket, and a boatload of self-professed singing talent, Bella got to work on the floor, vowing to never again allow Jake to accept two hen parties on the same night. It was feather-boa-sporting, glitter-shedding, drink-throwing _hell_.

So lost in her duet with Johnny Cash was she, that Bella didn't notice the click of the doors opening forty minutes later, or the soft clearing of a throat until it was repeated.

" _Holy shit on a cracker_!" She gasped, spinning around.

So, something about Bella you should know; she was clumsy. Almost morbidly so.

With that in mind, it was no surprise to Bella when her food caught a wet patch, and her flailing legs sent her crashing to the floor, taking the mop bucket with her.

" _Ow_ ," Bella groaned, grimacing at the feel of dirty, cocktail-floor water seeping into her t-shirt and jeans. Everything hurt, and she already knew the phone number in her back pocket would now be illegible. Not that she was that sad about it; the guy it belonged to, a regular patron at JBs, was a bit too gothic for her taste.

"I am _so_ sorry! I was trying not to make you jump. _Obviously failed there, Cullen. Well done._ "

Despite her predicament, Bella couldn't help but snort in amusement at the guy mumbling to himself. She peered up at him, now crouching over her prone form, and tried – failing miserably – to hide the crimson flush spreading over her entire face.

He was beautiful.

Like, not in the womanly way. But he had the most artfully designed face she'd ever seen. A strong, angular jaw, covered with a healthy growth of dark blond scruff and a pair of oh-so-kissable lips – currently pursed in a wince. His nose was annoyingly straight, settled between a pair of piercing, gray-blue eyes, and a thick set of brows groomed to perfection.

 _Dammit, why do guys always have better brows than me?_ Bella wondered idly, torn between wanting to smack this guy, ask him where he got his eyebrows done, and wanting to kiss him stupid.

"Miss? Are you okay? Did you hit your head?"

 _And he's got a gorgeous voice, to boot. Fuck a duck._

"I'm good!" She chimed. "Sorry, let me just—"

In hindsight, attempting to push herself up on the wet wood was a dumb idea. With her brain scrambled by the stranger's closeness, this notion didn't occur to her until she was already careening back towards the floor; this time, taking said stranger with her. They landed amidst the puddle of dirty mop water in a tangle of limbs, emitting a series of grunted curses and groans.

"Oh, Jesus, Mary, and Joseph," Bella whined.

"I'm so, so sorry. God, I knew I should've just left it 'til tomorrow. It's not like I need my wallet tonight, anyway."

A lightbulb went on.

"Ah, so _you're_ the guy in the booth. Your wallet's behind the bar."

The guy grinned up, looking all kinds of messy beneath her. He'd turned their bodies as they crashed down, so she was sort of sprawled half over his body, half in the filthy water. With just her sodden, navy, JBs t-shirt and his dark green, knit sweater between them, she could feel the ridges of his chest muscles under her, and the way his heart raced beneath her palm. His hair was a dark, honey blond, and though it looked relatively neat, it was also half a riotous mess; flat on one side, sticking up on the other.

"All right, seeing as I'm on top of you already, introductions. I'm Bella Swan, Finder Of Wallet."

He chuckled, the sound making Bella's stomach twist pleasantly. "Carlisle Cullen, Loser Of Wallet. And apparently, Menace To Pretty Bartenders. Did you hurt yourself?"

"No, I'm fine." _Way better than fine, you beautiful human being._ "All right, lemme up." With Carlisle carefully anchoring her, she managed to stand. Once he was standing too, having managed to get up far more gracefully than Bella had, they smiled at one another.

"So, wallet. Let me grab it for you." Bella darted around the bar before she could throw herself on the floor again, pulling the wallet from the lost and found box with a flourish. "Ta dah!"

Carlisle smiled, the grin punctuated by a single dimple. "Thank you, Bella. I didn't realize I'd left it behind until I was almost home. I thought you'd have closed up by now."

Bella shook her head, handing over the wallet after flicking it open to match his face to the image on the driver's license inside.

"I actually forgot to lock the doors. Jake would kill me."

As she made her way along the bar, collecting glasses to be cleaned, she caught the rise of Carlisle's brow. "Jake…your boyfriend? I wouldn't be so lucky to find a woman as pretty as you, and have her be single."

 _Hm…is the handsome stranger flirting? Me thinks so._

"Jake…the owner," she laughed, gesturing at the JB above the bar. "I always forget to lock the doors, and he's always telling me that one day some weirdo will wander in off the street." Bella cocked her head, smirking teasingly. "Are _you_ a weirdo?"

Carlisle held his hands up in surrender. "Not as far as I know. I mean, I occasionally dip my fries in my milkshake at McDonalds, but that's the right thing to do, according to my niece and nephew."

The image of Carlisle, fancy pants Carlisle in his sweater and dress pants in a downtown bar, eating McDonalds fries dipped in milkshake had Bella giggling. He looked the sort to be dining in posh restaurants, not a cheap – but delicious – fast food chain.

"So, er, you want some help? I mean, I'm a little weird, but I can clean."

Bella laughed aloud. "You're gonna clean…in that?" She pointed to his clothes, which probably cost more than her entire wardrobe at home, belatedly noticing that they were sorta ruined already. Filthy mop water will do that to cashmere sweaters, she guessed.

"I'm already dirty now, may as well help. Besides, it _was_ my fault the water was spilled. If I hadn't made you jump, you probably wouldn't have knocked it over."

Taking a moment to consider how her cop father would feel about her casually allowing a complete stranger in, albeit an exceedingly handsome one whose face she maybe sorta wanted to sit on, Bella finally nodded. Charlie would berate her endlessly, but he didn't need to know. "Sure. Uh, I'll get you a fresh shirt or something. I'm sure we still have some in the back."

As Bella darted towards Jake's office, she felt the distinct warmth of eyes on her back. Turning slightly, she smirked at the sight of Carlisle's gaze firmly planted on her butt. These were her favorite jeans for the pure fact that they made her ass look amazing; she was glad he'd noticed. Adding a little sway to the final few steps before she reached the office, Bella did an internal fist-pump at the quiet, but audible, groan behind her.

"I'm sure we have some, somewhere…aha!"

When Jake ordered the latest batch of JBs tees, he'd been sleep-deprived and had way overordered. Bearing in mind there were only three members of staff at JBs, they definitely didn't need thirty shirts. Luckily, Jake was around the same size as Carlisle, so she quickly yanked her drenched top over her head, released her bun, so her brown curls hung over her shoulders, and tugged on a new t-shirt before snagging one for Carlisle, re-joining him back out by the bar. She paused to admire the sight.

He'd removed his sweater and was using the splash of water left in the mop bucket to clean up as much as possible in just a pale gray beater. With every movement, his muscles tensed and released. Bella wiped her mouth to make sure no drool escaped at the sight of his defined biceps and shoulders, a telltale tightening in her belly making her sensible side throw up warning flags and 'caution' signs. A big red light flashed brightly in her mind, sirens wailing.

"You can just do that without a shirt if you want. I won't complain, just saying."

 _Okay, warning aborted._

Carlisle turned his head, surprise lighting his eyes and shaping his mouth in an adorable 'O' Bella wanted to fill with her tongue.

 _Sheesh, when did you get so whorey?_

 _Shutthefuckup, sensibleness._

Bella snapped herself out of her internal battle with her conscience, finding that the voice of sensibility sounded remarkably similar to her mother.

"Uh…ditto?"

Bella followed his gaze down, grinning when she realized what he was looking at. She'd rolled up her top on the way out, twisting it just below her bra leaving her midriff bare down to her hips, where the waistband of her jeans rested. "Sorry. It's kinda hot in here. You mind?"

Carlisle gulped visibly, shaking his head. "No. No complaints here. None at all."

"Alrighty then." Bella clapped, making Carlisle jump. She delighted in how distracted he seemed to be by her skin. "Shall we get started?"

"Sure."

By the time Bella had refilled the bucket and returned to the bar, Carlisle had made short work of most of the glasses, which only left the ones on the tables to be loaded into the dishwasher. Bella shot him a grateful smile, having secretly always hated cleaning the glasses the most. He set to work on the rest while she mopped the dance floor, deciding on a whim to go ahead and do the rest while she was at it. Couldn't hurt, and her flailing had spread it around anyways.

"I love this song." Carlisle eventually murmured. Bella would've liked to say she'd forgotten he was there, but it was impossible to do so when all she could see was his God-like torso flexing with each and every movement. So far, she'd mopped the same patch of floor three times, each time getting distracted by him and forgetting whether she'd done it or not.

The song finally registered, a grin spreading across Bella's face. "You do, huh?"

Carlisle hummed, continuing his ministrations on the glass he was drying. In and out his hand went, then just a finger as he scratched at a mark to see if it was a break or something the washer had missed.

Bella had never wanted to be a champagne flute so badly in her life.

"It's my favorite," she admitted in lieu of jumping on him.

He glanced up with a small, crooked half-smile. "Yeah? Johnny Cash? You've got good taste."

"Mmhm."

Finally done with the floor, or at least giving up on it for the time being, Bella wheeled the bucket towards the back room, returning to the bar just as Carlisle set down the last glass.

"All done."

Looking round, Bella found herself a little disappointed when she realized he was right. They'd finished what would've taken her two hours alone, in a little under an hour. Bella was big enough to admit that she wished she'd dawdled more. He'd have stayed longer then, but he was already reaching for his wallet and tucking it into his back pocket.

"You want a drink? On the house, for your help." She blurted, not wanting him to leave just yet.

He offered her a head-tilt. "You sure?"

"Yep! What's your poison?"

"Jack and Coke. On the rocks, please."

Bella grinned, getting to work and gesturing for him to take a seat. He walked around the bar, perching on a stool. His eyes followed her as she deftly pulled down a bottle of Jack Daniels, then removed a fresh bottle of Coke from the fridge under the bar. She set it down in front of him a minute later with a murmured, "Ta dah," making him chuckle quietly.

"Thank you, Bella."

"No problem. Thank _you_ for helping."

"Are you not having one?"

Bella cast a look at the clock, wincing. _3:35a.m._ "Ah, fuck it. Why not?" She poured a duplicate of Carlisle's drink, slinging herself easily up onto the bar in a maneuver she was desperate not to fuck up in front of Carlisle. He watched with wide eyes. Eyes, which Bella was excited to see, were darkening to midnight blue as they roamed over her legs, bare stomach, and up to her tits. The t-shirt she'd chosen was purposefully a size too small, showcasing her girls perfectly. Judging by the way Carlisle shifted on his stool, widening the gap between his legs slightly, he thought they looked pretty darn perfect.

 _Well done, ladies,_ Bella thought with glee.

"So, Jake's not your boyfriend. Could I be so lucky as to assume that there isn't one?"

Bella smirked, raising her eyebrows. "Why, Mr. Cullen…are you _flirting_?"

Instead of being embarrassed, Carlisle simply grinned, a wicked sparkle to his gaze. Bella came to the sudden realization that her pretty new lace panties probably weren't going to make it.

 _Ah well, never mind. Totally worth it._

"Maybe I am. Would that be okay?"

"Well…" Bella pretended to think about it. She loved the way it made Carlisle frown, his eyes narrowing, lips pursing, long fingers tapping the glass in his hand. She wanted those fingers on _her_.

 _Or in me, whatever. I'm not greedy. Okay, so maybe I am._

Electricity hummed in the air between them, warmth radiating from Carlisle's knee where it touched Bella's calf hanging over the bar. Even through their trousers, she could feel him; feel the vibrations skittering from his body into hers. It felt as though somebody had plugged her into a power point, energy thrumming through her veins and jump-starting her heart as he let his free hand glide up; from the top of her foot encased in her old _Chucks_ , over her shin, her knee where he paused to draw circles which made her shiver. Finally, he stopped at her thigh, lazily squeezing. She shook, desperate for his hand to climb higher to the point between her thighs where she burned for him. Where she ached for his fingers or those kissable lips.

"Bella?"

"Hm?" Drunk on the feeling of his hand on her, Bella managed to blink and meet his eyes.

She noticed the heat within them just a second before he changed his hold from gentle to firm, giving her one quick tug to yank her from the bar onto his lap. She straddled him on the stool, squealing quietly when it rocked twice before settling. Bella had barely a second to orient herself before he stole the breath from her lungs, his lips crashing roughly against hers. She hesitated briefly before responding in kind, clutching his strong shoulders as she eagerly welcomed his tongue into her mouth, their kiss all heat, fire, and passion.

He tasted of whiskey but also sweet like Coke, and vaguely minty, like he'd had a fresh mint or smoked a menthol before returning to the bar. His thighs were solid beneath her, his chest firm against hers as she pulled herself as close as possible and nipped at his lower lip.

Bella all-but melted into a puddle at the groan he emitted when her teeth clamped down gently.

It was pure need and set her on fire. If Bella hadn't already, she knew for sure then that she'd be throwing these panties away. They were soaked and she wouldn't have been surprised if he'd soon be able to feel her wetness on his thigh.

"Bella… _fuck_ …"

"Yes, and please," she whispered against his jaw, unable to resist biting it just a little.

He didn't seem to mind.

"Fuck _yes_." He grunted, thrusting upwards. It changed their angle, bringing his hard length into perfect alignment with her wet heat. She whined, pressing down into him with a soft sigh of relief at the pressure.

 _Fucker ain't small_.

"Bella, sweetheart," Carlisle gritted out through his teeth, moving his hands to squeeze her ass, hard. "If you want me to stop—"

"Don't you fucking dare, Cullen. I live nearby, we can go—"

"No. We're not going anywhere. I saw you here first; I want to fuck you here."

Bella wasn't sure whether to smack him for being bossy or kiss him for the same reason.

She settled for darting down to suck his neck hard enough to leave a mark.

Carlisle managed to stand, hoisting Bella so that she could wind her legs around his waist, crossing them over his ass as he carried her to the nearest booth.

The booth he'd been sitting in earlier, where he'd left his wallet.

Drunk on this man, this wickedly, sinfully beautiful man, Bella didn't feel even a hint of her usual nerves as she tugged her t-shirt over her head and unbuttoned her jeans, watching him remove his beater and reach for his own pants. Morbid curiosity made her pause, her tongue darting out to lick her lips when he unfastened his dress pants and revealed the straining bulge barely being held within his black briefs.

"Oh, fuck, love. You have no idea what you're doing to me, do you?" He grunted, eyes fixated on her tongue.

"Ditto, handsome. Here." Feeling an uncharacteristic bolt of confidence, Bella kept her gaze firmly on Carlisle's face as she reached for his hand, pulling it down and pushing his fingers inside her unzipped jeans. As soon as his fingers found her hot, wet clit, she shivered, and Carlisle transformed. He went from almost angelic, with his light hair and eyes, to sin incarnate.

His hair a wild mess atop his head, face a mask of want, Bella felt herself grow impossibly more turned on. She'd never felt like this before. She'd never seen so much need in a man's face, never known a man to want her as much as Carlisle apparently did.

And there was no hiding how much he wanted her.

Not when she was sitting on the edge of the booth bench, her face waist-high to Carlisle, standing as he was. His dick jutted out in its fabric prison, pointing toward her. Bella peered up at him through her lashes and let her tongue peek out once more. As the tip of it brushed the end of Carlisle's dick, she watched his body ripple in a shudder. His brows drew closer, a stifled growl reverberating in his chest.

She felt powerful. In charge. It was a heady sensation.

Slowly, so that he could stop her if he wished, Bella gently removed him from his boxers, shoving them down with his jeans and barely waiting for him to kick them off before sucking him into her mouth as far as she could.

"Oh _, mother of—_ Bella!"

His hands flew to the back of her head, immediately relocating to her shoulders. She reached up and placed them back on her hair, humming in approval when he tentatively wound his fingers into her dark locks. He groaned, long and low, then again when she let her tongue join in the action, licking first up one side of his rigid length, then the other, ending with a quick suckle on his tip. He bucked his hips towards her, muttering curses under his breath.

"Carlisle?"

"Yeah?" He panted, looking down at her through half-lidded eyes.

 _Here goes nothing_. "Fuck me?"

"I thought you'd never ask."

Before Bella could utter another word, he'd pulled her pants down – panties included – and tossed them away with her _Chucks_ after a brief battle with the laces. Her bra was next to go, then Carlisle paused to take her in, spread out before him. His eyes roamed from her hair fanned out beneath her head, over her perfectly perky tits, an exact handful when he reached out to cup them, down to her pussy. She wasn't completely bare; he was happy to notice, though she was neat and had a thin, short landing strip. He was all for women grooming, but he wasn't a fan of bare. He wanted a woman, not a girl.

Unable to stop himself, Carlisle let his fingers trail down over the strip of hair, grinning when she jerked as he reached her clit. It was hot and swollen, ripe and ready for his tongue. He bent slowly, so that she'd be able to stop him; though he prayed she wouldn't. Bella didn't, and she let loose a keening cry of pleasure and dug her head back into the leather seat when his tongue made one long swipe over her from entrance to clit, then back again. He moved over her body, kissing his way from aching core to kiss-swollen lips. She bit at him again, so deliciously greedy for him, swallowing his grunt when the tip of his cock pressed against her entrance. She was burning, and already felt so good.

Carlisle forced himself to slow down, resting his weight on one arm while brushing a lock of hair from Bella's cheek. She nipped his lips, whining in frustration when he refused to move his hips even when she wound her legs around his waist, tugging at him as hard as she could.

"Hey, wait a second. Let me look at you."

Bella sobered a little, reaching up to twine her fingers in his hair. He hummed, leaning down to press feather-light kisses against her lips, chuckling when she tugged his hair in an attempt to get him to kiss her harder. "Kiss me _, dammit._ "

"I am," he mumbled against her lips, moving from one corner to the other.

"God, you're an asshole." Before Carlisle could protest, she'd reached down with one hand and was stroking his dick in an agonizingly provocative way. He grunted into her mouth, finally giving up the act of patience, and thrust into her in one, deliciously slow, but hard, movement.

She cried out, gripping his back and raking her nails from shoulder blade to the top of his ass. Carlisle hadn't realized how much he'd like that until she did it. The sting made him thrust back in twice as hard, his zealousness moving them further up the seat. Bella cried out again but begged for 'more, harder' between 'fuck yeses.'

Some obscure rock band wailed in the background as Bella and Carlisle crashed together. Over and over again their bodies came together and separated, their orgasms coiling and tightening in tandem. She clamped her walls around his dick, smiling at the groan it pulled from him. He snaked a hand beneath her head, cradling her neck and using it as leverage to pump into her harder. The other hand crept down to her hip, clasping hard enough that she flexed but moved into him, loving it all, wanting more, more, more.

She wanted it all. Everything he had to give, this perfect stranger with the silky voice and to-die-for-cock.

And die she might.

As her orgasm barreled towards her Bella wondered if her heart was going to burst out of her chest. It sure felt like it.

Carlisle grunted, his movements becoming jerkier, less coordinated. His brows furrowed, eyes almost pitch black. It was obvious he was close. Bella reached behind his head, scratching her nails lightly over the back of his neck and down his spine, digging them in harder at the base of his back. She grinned with glee when he threw his head back and pounded into her harder, faster, gripping her tighter.

The smile was wiped from her face when he adjusted slightly and hit her at a new angle.

" _Fuck!"_ She hissed, the pleasure too much, too intense.

"Bella…I'm close, sweetheart."

Unable to lean up, with him holding the back of her neck, Bella tugged his head closer, raking her teeth gently over his lower lip before sucking it into her mouth to soothe the sting. "Come for me, handsome. I want to feel you."

" _Oh, fuck_."

Hearing him swear in that refined voice, silky smooth but somehow rough at the same time, tipped Bella over the edge. She reached down, rubbing her clit in three, tight little circles before falling, spiraling into the depths of a world-shaking orgasm.

Her pussy walls tightened around Carlisle's cock, the blissful look on her face tugging him over the cliff edge right alongside her. He felt the orgasm tighten in his balls first, then shoot up through his body before flying straight back down to his dick. As the first rope of come shot into her, he muffled his shout into Bella's tits, thrusting erratically until he was empty and spent, trying to hold himself up so he didn't squash Bella while struggling with even the most basic of human functions; like breathing, or keeping his heart from beating clean out of his chest.

"I should go…" He mumbled against her chest a few minutes later, once the panting had subsided, and he could see more than just pinpricks of light.

"Nah. Stay. Stay right here." Bella shuffled around, tugging Carlisle with her by his hair. He wound up against the back of the booth, Bella tucked into him with her chest to his, their arms resting around each other's waists, one of Carlisle's pillowed beneath her head. She settled perfectly against him, snuggling right in with a satisfied, sleepy hum. Glancing up at his face once more, Bella smiled. He grinned back down at her, all post-orgasmic relaxation. "Night, handsome."

"Night, sweetheart," he murmured, kissing her forehead and attempting to get comfy on the sweat-slicked leather.

Within minutes, she was fast asleep, breathing quietly against his chest with a smile still on her red, kiss-swollen lips.

When she woke the next morning, too-hot and feeling a distinct ache between her legs that meant she'd been thoroughly fucked, Bella already knew what she'd find.

A tidy bar, her clothes spread across the floor where they'd been thrown without care, and herself, all alone.

* * *

 **I'm also going to try to do a shout-out each chapter if I remember! Last week's was** Sunshine1220's **Duplicity, which leaves me hanging with a million questions and all the feels after every single update.**

 **This time, I'd like to rec** OtherRootVegetable's **Vancouver Waves. Two chapters into this fic and I'm hooked! Well worth a read!**

 **Also, if you're into writing or would like to get started, the** Twilight Fanfiction Pays It Forward **group is running a Winterward Christmas Card contest on their Facebook Page, and it looks amazing, so if you want more info drop me or** SunflowerFran **a message and we'll get you pointed in the right direction.**

 **Have a great weekend, everyone! xo**


	2. Chapter Two

**Hey there! I'm so glad you all seem to be enjoying this  
expanded version so much - I _was_ worried that it would be  
like 'oh, not this again,' but so far you've been super sweet!**

 **I do want to address something quickly though...  
I'm all for guest reviews. Honestly, I kinda look at it as  
everyone is entitled to their opinion whether they're logged  
in or not, however if you choose to be rude and hide behind  
a 'guest' name tag, your review will just be deleted in future.  
If you want to be taken seriously, own up to your opinion. That's  
all I'll say on that :)**

 **Huge THANK YOU to the wonderful** SunflowerFran **and her magical  
red pen for tidying this up for me, and to all of you for loving on these  
characters after just one chapter. They _are_ a smidge flawed - both  
Bella and Carlisle - but it's fun for me to have less-than-perfect main  
characters for once. They can grow this way!**

 **Anyways, you don't want to read me rambling on forever...**

 **~ oOo ~**

 **Neapolitan**

He was the beautiful blond-haired stranger from the bar, and she was the pretty brunette barmaid who couldn't resist him. Together, they burned. Apart, they were cold. As cold as the ice cream trickling over the fingers of a little boy with strawberry hair. There are a million different flavors of ice cream out there worth trying, or maybe just one; Neapolitan.

 **~ oOo ~**

 **Chapter Two**

 _ **August 28**_ _ **t,h,**_ _ **2011 – CARLISLE**_

"Keep the change, pal."

"Thanks, man!"

The cab sped away, leaving Carlisle alone on the sidewalk. He huffed and raked a hand through his hair before turning to make his way up the path, trying to push all thoughts of the stunning woman he'd left behind from his mind. For the first time, Carlisle regretted agreeing to watch the children today; one of his final few days off before he returned to his residency. Just one year to go and he'd be a fully qualified pediatrician. He already had his job lined up with a nearby practice, and he was very much looking forward to being able to work hours that were more reasonable.

Especially as it meant he'd get to spend more time with his family.

 _Or pursuing a certain, pretty barmaid…_

Rosalie had been on a gardening spree again if the new flowerbeds and rope swing were anything to go by. And he could already see the kids in the bay windows, so he knew he was going to be in trouble. A quick check of his watch revealed that he was four minutes late; to Rosalie, it mattered little _how_ late he was.

"Carlisle, you _promised_ you'd be on time!" Rosalie called before he could even make it to the door. She leaned on one foot in the doorway, murmuring a 'thank you' when he held out a hand to steady her as she stepped into her black heels.

"Sorry, Rose. Hey, they're my favorite niece and nephew!"

"They're your _only_ niece and nephew," Rosalie reminded him quietly, rolling her eyes but unable to hide her amusement.

Two-year-old Vera giggled, racing across the foyer on chubby legs, her twin – Henry – close behind. "Unca Wile!"

With a toddler in each arm, Carlisle offered his sister-in-law what he hoped was a wide, appeasing grin. "Have a lovely day, Rose. Vera, Henry; say 'bye' to Mommy."

"Bye, Mommy!" They chimed, cherubic smiles firmly in place as Rosalie leaned in to plant kisses on their curl-covered heads.

"Bye, babies. Be good for Uncle Lisle, okay? I'll be home by four today, but if you need anything Carlisle, Em is just around the corner—"

"We'll be fine, Rose. Get going. Have a nice day!"

Amidst a flurry of 'bye, Mommys' and 'be goods!' Rosalie left for work, the twins waving gaily at her out of the window as she rolled down the driveway and out of sight in her lilac _Porsche Cayenne_.

"Unca Wile, 'tan we have _Wucky Charms_?" Henry asked softly, tapping his uncle's face to get his attention.

Carlisle grinned, blowing a raspberry on each of their faces. "Of course! You know where they are; let's go find them."

Henry and Vera cheered as he set them down and then took off running toward their father's study. Emmett and Rosalie often disagreed over the twins' diet, and only she was unaware that he kept a stash of what she deemed 'unacceptable' foods for them in the lockable cupboard under his desk. It had a secret compartment she didn't know about, and her children found it great fun to keep her in the dark. How long that would last Carlisle wasn't sure, but he was positive that his brother would lose his balls when she found out what he'd been up to.

In the meantime, he was more than happy to be the fun uncle who let them have _Lucky Charms_ for breakfast and _McDonalds_ _Happy_ _Meals_ for the occasional lunch.

 **~ oOo ~**

When the twins had finished their breakfast, they led Carlisle out into the garden to show off their new jungle gym; little did they know, he had helped build it two weeks previous while they spent the day with their Nana and Pops. They spent an hour running up and down, showing him how 'awesome' the slide was and proving that he was slower than they were by racing around the garden.

Still, even as he laughed and growled and tossed Vera and Henry around, Carlisle couldn't completely wipe the memory of Bella from his mind. He missed her. Already. And it had only been a couple of hours since he'd left her.

It had been so difficult to get dressed and leave without waking her, but Bella had looked so peaceful, and Carlisle had been certain that if she'd flashed those gorgeous doe eyes and asked him to stay, he wouldn't have been able to go. Rosalie was mad enough that he'd been four minutes late; she'd have killed him if he'd called to cancel altogether. Plus, he _had_ missed the twins these past two weeks. His residency was murder, hence the impromptu, solo night out. Carlisle had planned to stop into JBs for just one pint, but had wound up chugging four before he shuffled out of the booth and wandered home.

Of course, he'd kicked himself when he got there and realized he'd left his wallet behind.

"Unca Wile, look a'me!"

Carlisle grinned, tickling Henry's chubby belly and cheering when Vera threw herself head first down the slide, cackling all the way.

Now, with the faint scent of Bella's perfume still clinging to him and the memory of her hot, wet mouth fresh on his mind, Carlisle knew he'd have left his wallet there on purpose had he known what would come of it.

He just wished he'd been able to find something to write a note on in the bar before leaving. Carlisle already knew that he'd be heading there as soon as Rosalie returned at four, but that wasn't soon enough.

"Uh, Unca Wile! Henny's wet!"

Carlisle was pulled from thoughts of sending flowers to JBs by Henry's wailing and Vera's yelling. Henry's diaper had leaked, his gray pants visibly wet at the back. The soft-hearted little boy had fat tears rolling over his cheeks as he waddled over to his uncle, following him inside to get changed.

 _Ah, the life of a stand-in parent_ , Carlisle thought to himself as he changed Henry's diaper and shoved his chubby legs into a pair of dry shorts. "As much as I love you, little guy, I think I'll stick to just being the cool uncle for a good few years yet. How does that sound?"

Henry grinned, all teeth and big, blue eyes. "'Kay, Unca Wile."

 **~ oOo ~**

"Ah for fuck's sake, Em. Are you kidding me?"

" _Hey, less of the 'fuck,' bro. The kids are there."_

Carlisle glanced over his shoulder – Vera and Henry were fast asleep on the sofa, thumbs in mouths, diaper-clad butts in the air. "They're asleep. Can't you take Rose out a different day? I've got somewhere to be!"

" _Do you know what Rosie'll do to me if I take back my promise now? She'll kill me, bro! Besides, I thought you still had a couple days off."_

"I _do_ , hence wanting to have a bit of time this evening to myself. I've got plans with—" Carlisle halted, cursing internally. He knew Emmett would be all over his hesitation.

" _Plans with who? Oh, Jesus, are you back with that bimbo again? Lisle, bro, we talked about this. She's not—"_

Carlisle huffed. " _No_ , Em, not Irina. I don't know what you have against her, anyway. She's fun and we have a good time together."

It was easy to tune out Emmett's ensuing list of all the reasons why Carlisle shouldn't consider getting back with his ex-girlfriend; he'd heard it a thousand times already.

"… _and you know she's just not_ right _for you, bro. I mean, you want to get married – eventually – and have kids and stuff. I thought Irina told you she didn't want that?"_

Henry sighed in his sleep, catching Carlisle's attention for a moment. He gazed at his sleeping niece and nephew, his chest swelling with love for them. He'd been more excited than most when Emmett and Rosalie announced their pregnancy and had been a hands-on uncle ever since the twins' four-weeks-early arrival. Carlisle adored spending time with them, seeing them learn and watching them grow. And yes, Emmett was right; he _did_ want a family of his own. _Eventually_. Which Irina had said she didn't want, which had been the main reason for their break-up.

"Look, Em, I really have somewhere to be. What time will you be home?"

" _Uh, maybe nine? We're almost at the restaurant now, and I bet Rosie'll want to have an early-ish night. She's got that flight tomorrow."_

With a huff, Carlisle slumped into the closest armchair, resigned. "Fine, I'll be here. But you owe me, _big time_."

Emmett laughed. _"All right, thanks bro. Sorry for ruining your hot date! Have fun with my sprogs!"_

And then the phone went dead.

Carlisle leaned back against the chair and groaned, exhausted and frustrated at having his plans spoiled. A late night and early morning dash to his brother and sister-in-law's house, followed by a full day of running around after two, two-year-olds was not conducive to an energetic evening.

Thankfully, Henry and Vera were both deep sleepers, so Carlisle managed to move them upstairs one at a time to get them changed into pajamas and settle them in their beds with no hassle. He made a quick trip back downstairs to fill their nighttime sippy cups with water, placed them within easy reach in case either toddler woke in the night, then headed back downstairs to the kitchen. He knew where the drawer of takeout menus resided, so he fished out the one belonging to a half-decent Chinese restaurant and ordered his usual; chicken curry, beef chow mein, egg fried rice, and a bag of chicken balls with sweet and sour sauce.

With dinner on the way and frustration bubbling away within, Carlisle plonked himself in Emmett's recliner and put his feet up, resigning himself to making a trip to JBs the following afternoon.

 **~ oOo ~**

The next morning, Carlisle woke up pitching a tent with a smile on his face.

He reached down, giving his eager dick a lazy tug before glancing sleepily at the clock on the side table. _6:12a.m._

"Why the hell am I awake?" He mumbled, reaching for his cell when he noticed the flashing light indicating a message or notification. Assuming it would just be a _Facebook_ notification – most likely Rosalie tagging him in the photos of himself and the children that he'd sent her yesterday – Carlisle was shocked wide awake by the seven missed calls and five texts blinking at him.

All were from his residency supervisor at the hospital.

Rubbing the sleep from his eyes and hitting 'call,' Carlisle pushed himself up to lean against the headboard.

"Dr. Cheney, I called you back as soon as I saw your messages."

" _Finally! I need you at the hospital, now. We had a major incident last night. A coach full of kids on their way back from a day trip crashed. Multiple casualties, one fatality, and we have nowhere near enough hands. How soon can you be here?"_

Carlisle was already up and moving. "Twenty minutes? I'll throw some clothes on and come straight in."

" _All right."_ Dr. Cheney – Eric – blew out a long breath; Carlisle could hear his exhaustion. _"Thanks for coming in. I'll try and get your days back once it's settled down."_

"Don't worry. You think I'm worried about days off?" Carlisle yanked on a clean pair of boxers and a questionable pair of jeans, promising Eric that he'd be there as soon as possible before hanging up and hunting for a fresh t-shirt. While he was digging through the laundry he hadn't put away yet, he spotted the dirty JBs tee. Lifting it up to his nose for a second, Carlisle smiled at the faint scent of Bella's perfume lingering in the fibers.

A car backfiring outside snapped him out of his trance, and within ten minutes Carlisle was taking the stairs down to the street two at a time, a piece of toast hanging out of his mouth as he shoved his phone, keys, and hospital ID into his pockets. It was only a five-minute walk to the hospital on a bad day, but with Carlisle in a hurry, it took slightly less, and Eric was visibly surprised to see him strolling into the ward so soon.

"You were quick."

Carlisle smiled weakly, heading for the changing room. "Lots to do, right?" Even without pausing on his way through, Carlisle could see they were swamped. The sound of children crying and parents demanding answers was loud in the ward and Carlisle had to take a moment to prepare himself once he'd changed out of his jeans and tee and into a set of scrubs decorated with cute forest animals. "Get it together, Cullen."

A few deep breaths later, and he was out in the midst of the chaos alongside Eric.

 **~ oOo ~**

Hot water turned Carlisle's lightly tanned skin a bright pink. Rivulets cascaded over his broad shoulders and chest. He held his hands out under the spray, unable to look at them without seeing red staining the skin.

Four. Four children had died.

One had coded on the table before Carlisle got called in, two died in surgery, and the last had slipped away silently just before the end of Carlisle's shift.

He hadn't woken up after the coach he'd been traveling in collided with the wall; Johnny Winters was eight-years-old.

As he scratched shampoo into his sweaty scalp, Carlisle could still hear the sound of Johnny's parents wailing when Eric announced the boy's time of death.

It was four days after he rushed into the hospital and Carlisle hadn't been home yet. He was still there, just taking a much-needed shower. Eric had ordered him to clean up, get his head straight, and get some sleep. They'd all been run ragged over the past four days, all working themselves to the bone trying to save as many of the kids as possible.

There had been progress for some.

Carlisle had been witness to a little girl, just seven-years-old, waking up from her induced coma. Her mum had bawled for what seemed like forever, kissing her daughter's bloodied face over and over.

He'd also gotten to help a fourteen-year-old boy walk on his new crutches, making sure to remind him not to put any weight on his broken leg. He'd be in plaster for six to eight weeks, but he was alive.

When his toes were wrinkled, and his skin tingled from the heat of the water, Carlisle stepped out of the shower and toweled himself dry, pulling on a new set of soft scrubs. These were his fourth set and bore smiley faces all over. Clean and dry, he headed to the elevators and made his way to the canteen; at this point, he was beyond starving. The food down there wasn't great, but it would fill a void.

After grabbing his macaroni and cheese and a juice box, Carlisle joined a few of his fellow residents.

"Cullen," Angela Weber nodded tiredly from across the table, nursing a coffee.

"Ang. How're you holding up?"

She shrugged, hiding behind her dark curtain of black hair. She'd been on shift when the casualties had begun arriving and had only left for a few hours each evening since to feed her cats, Bonnie and Clyde. Exhaustion weighed heavily beneath her eyes, an almost waxy tint to her dark brown gaze as she peered at him.

"You?"

"It's just shit, isn't it? All those kids…" Carlisle huffed, picking at his food. He wanted to call Emmett and ask him to put the twins on the phone, just to reassure him, but it was past eleven at night, and Emmett and Rosalie would kill him if he woke them. He decided to text Emmett in the morning and ask him to bring Vera and Henry to the hospital for lunch just so he could see them and hold them close. It boggled his mind to see the suffering of the parents, their children so desperate and with nothing they could do to help but be there.

 _How do they do it?_

Carlisle remembered when the twins were born and had to spend a week in the NICU. He was lucky that a few friends of his were NICU nurses, so he'd been able to visit when he wouldn't otherwise have been allowed. Watching Emmett and Rosalie fret over their tiny babies had been hard for Carlisle. A year older than Emmett, he hated to see his little brother sad and out of sorts. It was out of character for Emmett to be anything but loud and jovial, but that week had been the quietest, most somber of his life.

Then Henry came home on day seven, Vera joining them at home a day later, and everything in the world was right again.

Some of the parents upstairs, like Mr. and Mrs. Winters, would be leaving without their babies.

The thought was harrowing and made Carlisle want to cry and scream at the injustice of it all.

The muffled _bleep_ of Angela's pager made her groan, but she pulled it from her pocket and checked the screen just as Carlisle's began making the same sound. "Fuck."

 _RRT._ It was never good when a rapid response team was needed.

Carlisle shoved his barely-touched mac and cheese in the trash on the way out of the canteen, following Angela at a jog toward the stairs. Neither of them wanted to wait for the elevator.

Even with their rush, they didn't make it in time. As they stepped out of the stairwell and neared the ward doors, they both heard it.

The heartbreaking wailing.

 **~ oOo ~**

"Unca Wile!"

"Henry," Carlisle breathed, dropping to his knees and hugging his nephew tight to his chest. The relief was overwhelming.

"I miss you, Unca Wile," Henry told him sadly, big blue eyes wide and accusing. "You gone!"

"I know I was gone, buddy. I've been at work."

Henry frowned, glancing over his shoulder at his dad before returning his gaze to Carlisle. "You been fixin' pea-pole?"

Carlisle snickered; he'd missed his nephew's sweet mispronunciations. "Yeah, buddy. I've been fixing people."

"Huh." Henry considered this for a moment as Carlisle rose to his feet, meeting his brother's worried gaze.

"You okay, bro?" Emmett asked, obviously concerned.

With a shrug, Carlisle admitted, "I've been better. This is great, though. Thanks for coming down, brother."

Emmett flashed a dimpled grin, scooping Henry up like a football under one arm. "No problem, bro. I would've brought Vera, but she's having a pampering session with Rosie. So, you promised me crappy canteen food in exchange for a visit. Pay up."

The brothers headed down the hall toward the visitors' café, Henry howling with laughter tucked neatly under Emmett's arm. When they fell into plastic chairs at the table by the window – Henry's favorite, because it was closest to the toy table – Carlisle let loose a long, loud sigh.

Emmett grinned sympathetically, sliding one of the two coffees he'd just purchased across the table. "Get that down ya, bro."

"Thanks."

The brothers sat in silence for a few minutes, their eyes drifting over to Henry. He was building a tower of wooden blocks, counting them as he stacked them – so far, he'd counted, 'one, three, seven, four, one…' several times.

"So, how's it going?" Emmett's usually jovial expression faded, replaced by a sad frown. "I read about the accident in the paper. Rosie cried for like, two hours straight and had the twins in with us overnight."

Carlisle huffed, tipping his head back to stare at the faded, white-tiled ceiling as he blew out a long breath. "It's shit. Just… _shit_. All those kids. And their parents…" Carlisle shook his head and glanced toward Henry, knowing he'd be falling to pieces if anything like that happened to him or his sister. "I don't know how they get up in the morning. It's fucking awful."

Emmett winced. "To be fair, I don't know how _you_ do it. You've been here, what? Two weeks now?"

"Yeah, two weeks straight. I had a few hours off Tuesday morning, but we're just swamped. We've got a doctor on maternity leave as of last week, another off sick after breaking his leg…it's madness."

"Mom said she brought some stuff over for you." Emmett flashed a grin. "She let me taste the cookiesc."

Carlisle chuckled. "Why does that not surprise me? She gave me a box and handed out a bunch to the patients. I think she got the most smiles out of them since they got here."

Both men smiled softly, thinking of their mother. Elizabeth Cullen was as soft-hearted as they came, with a heart of gold and a soft spot for children. No mother had ever been more excited to become a grandmother than when Emmett and Rosalie's twins were born. She often hinted at Carlisle that it was about time he settled down and gave her some more grandbabies to love on; Carlisle didn't have it in him to disappoint her by pointing out that a grueling pediatrics residency and dating, let alone babies, didn't mix all that well.

As Emmett stood to help Henry with his leaning tower, Carlisle's brows drew inwards, his thoughts drifting to Bella.

It had been over two weeks now since their tryst at JBs. He'd been so swamped at the hospital that he'd barely had a chance to eat and shower, let alone escape to go back and see if she might be interested in a repeat performance. Now he was disgruntled to realize that it would look mighty skeevy to just show up now after leaving it so long.

"Uh, meant to ask, Lisle…" Emmett trailed off, a hesitant expression on his face.

"What's up?" Carlisle asked, rolling his head sideways to watch Emmett and Henry building a new tower; the first had crashed and burned while Carlisle was lost in thoughts of Bella.

"You and Irina…?"

"Are _not_ back on. Em, I told you already; we're not getting back together. We want different things."

Even as he said it, Carlisle wondered if it was true. He _did_ want children…but this past two weeks had put the fear of God into him. Having seen parents lose their babies, their children, could he do that to himself? Could he put himself in the position where he might one day lose a child to a freak accident? The mere idea of it, of having a child rely on him, petrified Carlisle. Taking care of his niece and nephew was one thing – having a child of his own to be responsible for and take care of was another.

Emmett's sigh pulled Carlisle's from his morose realization. "Probably a good thing. I mean, a relationship with the crazy hours you do? Man, no girl would stick around for that shit. Rosie would've killed me if I'd worked as many hours on the bounce as you have."

The tower Henry had built tumbled to the floor with a loud clatter, wooden bricks spilling over the floor as Carlisle felt his heart sink to his stomach.

 _Emmett's right._

As much as he wanted to go back to JBs and see Bella, it just wouldn't be fair. He might be able to give her an hour or two of his time here and there, especially now that most of the injured children were starting to be discharged. But what about the next accident? Or the fact that he still had a year left of his residency and would have little-to-no time to spend with her, or any other girl he pursued, for that matter.

Irina was a lawyer from a family of lawyers – she'd understood his hectic schedule. It was one of the reasons they worked so well. Neither one of them had begrudged the other their busy work days; they'd just enjoyed the rare evenings and weekends they got to take off together. Carlisle felt a pang of disappointment as he decided that he'd avoid JBs. It wouldn't be fair to Bella to ask anything of her, not when he was unable to commit and give her the time she'd deserve. He'd want to take her on dates; to the park, the cinema, and fancy restaurants. With the hours he had to clock for his residency, he was often lucky if he had the time or energy to microwave a Ramen dinner for himself, let alone go out anywhere.

 _No_ , Carlisle thought, plastering a smile on his face and getting down from the table to play with Emmett and Henry. _I'll leave Bella alone and focus on my career like I should_.

 **~ oOo ~**

A week later, Carlisle woke to the feeling of nails scratching lightly over his stomach, an alarm bleating from the dresser at the foot of the bed.

"Mm, time is it?" He mumbled sleepily.

A soft laugh made him smile and stretch, rolling to face the warm woman wrapped around his back. He reached up to run his fingers through white-blonde locks, meeting Irina's cool blue gaze. "It's five. You wanted me to wake you when I left, and I've got to go."

He abruptly realized that she was dressed; wearing a pale gray blouse and a black skirt, she looked every bit the smart, sophisticated lawyer. She'd even arranged her hair in a neat chignon and applied her make-up without waking him. He felt his eager dick stir as he took in the way her cleavage peeked out of her blouse, the same way it had when she arrived at his apartment the night before.

A simple, three-word text from Carlisle had been enough to prompt her visit.

That was four days ago, and she'd stayed every night since. That said, they'd only spent the nights together. The hospital had settled somewhat, but Carlisle was still run off his feet, and Irina was working a big case at work with one of the other partners, so they fell into bed at ten p.m. each night, exhausted but both craving company. They'd agreed it was just physical and they weren't exclusive – they were welcome to see other people and do as they pleased. Carlisle hadn't voiced his change of heart on the children issue, and Irina hadn't mentioned it at all either, so they were both content to just see what happened and enjoy each other's company.

"Shall we get dinner in tonight? Chinese, maybe?"

Irina pursed her lips.

"Sushi?"

She smiled. "Sushi it is. See you later, Dr. Cullen."

With one last peck on his lips, she slid from the bed and sashayed from the room.

* * *

 **So...I have a feeling I'm going to get some tomatoes thrown at me after that, but please, please, _please_ stick with me! If you've read the contest entry you'll know where this ends up, and if you haven't, trust that I'm a Happy Ever After gal all the way.**

 **Also...if you're into non-canon couples, I've written an Emmett and Bella Christmas story which will be posting probably from tomorrow every couple of days up until Christmas, so check that out if you're interested :)**

 **xo**


	3. Chapter Three

**Hey guys! So I ALMOST forgot to post this thanks  
to a lousy 4am start and a very busy day, but we're just  
in time *phew***

 **I'm loving all your theories - keep 'em coming ;)  
I'm trying my best to keep up with replies but as you'll  
know if you work in retail, Christmas isn't the easiest time  
of the year OR the most wonderful. If I don't get back to them  
before, I'll go through the respond after the holidays are over,  
but please know I appreciate every single one.**

 **A few of you have read the one-shot and are thinking of flouncing,  
but I promise a whole lot will become clear if you stick with it. I  
had fifteen thousand words for the one-shot and have already written  
almost double that for this, so there's a whole lot more to find out  
where these two flawed individuals are concerned. Carlisle is no angel,  
but as you'll see as we go, Bella has her moments.**

 **Anyway, I'll let you get on with this and will see you next Thursday.  
Merry Christmas to everyone who celebrates, happy holidays to those  
who don't 3**

 **Much love and gratitude to my wonderful beta** SunflowerFran  
 **for wielding her magic red pen whenever I need her.**

 **~ oOo ~**

 **Neapolitan**

He was the beautiful blond-haired stranger from the bar, and she was the pretty brunette barmaid who couldn't resist him. Together, they burned. Apart, they were cold. As cold as the ice cream trickling over the fingers of a little boy with strawberry hair. There are a million different flavors of ice cream out there worth trying, or maybe just one; Neapolitan.

 **~ oOo ~**

 **Chapter Three**

 _ **September 13**_ _ **th**_ _ **2011 – BELLA**_

"Happy birthday, Bella!"

" _Whatthefuck…_ " Bella woke with a start, slamming her hands over her ears when someone let a bomb off in the doorway, closely followed by a too-bright flash.

Well, _not_ a bomb – a party popper – and Renee wielding a camera.

"Sorry, did we wake you?"

Bella growled, tugging her covers over her head; not that it would deter her brother. Ten-year-old Alec lived for harassing her, and scrambled quickly onto her bed, ripping the blanket from her hands to grin at her. He had their dad's eyes and hair – Bella's eyes and hair, too – but their mom's smile. He was an absolute little shit, but Bella would do anything for him, which was why she huffed and let him get under the blankets with her instead of shoving him off the bed.

"Happy birthday, Bells."

Bella scowled toward the door, but her eyes brightened when she spotted the brightly-wrapped gift in her brother's outstretched hands. "Happy birthday, Twin!"

Edward chuckled, tossing the gift at his sister before perching on the end of the bed, Charlie and Renee standing in the doorway, his arm looped around her shoulders as they smiled at their kids all bundled on one twin bed. Edward and Bella weren't twins, but they _did_ share a birthday. Four-year-old Bella had been made up to receive her baby brother as a birthday gift, although the novelty soon wore off when she realized she had to share the limelight. Now an adult, she shared it much better and they had an annual tradition of going for a day out and dinner for their shared birthday. With it falling on a Tuesday this year, they'd decided to hold off and go out on Friday, so Bella was looking forward to her first weekend off in months.

 **~ oOo ~**

Over their traditional birthday breakfast – pancakes, syrup, bacon, sausages, and hash browns – Edward and Bella opened the rest of their gifts.

There were screams from Bella when she opened the airline tickets to Disneyworld from her parents, and a delighted _whoop_ from Edward when he tore into his. Disneyworld was another Swan family tradition, though they hadn't been for years; not since that phone call eight years ago when their world had fallen apart; Renee's unexpected cancer diagnosis proving more important than a theme park.

Bella's eyes welled up as she looked across at her mom. "Mom…are you sure?"

Renee's blue eyes were full of tears, but determined, as she nodded firmly. "I'm sure. It's time we put the past behind us."

The mood could have turned somber, but in the Swan household, somber never lasted long.

Alec let out a loud belch, wiping his milk mustache from his face with the back of his hand. "So, when're we going to Disneyland, Mom?"

Charlie and Renee exchanged gleeful glances. "Well, that's the best bit. We're going for Christmas!"

Edward gaped at his parents as Bella screeched excitedly; she adored Christmas almost as much as Disneyworld. "Christmas? Are you…are you kidding?"

Charlie's mustache danced above his grin as he chuckled, looping an arm around his wife's shoulders. "No, Ed. We're not kidding. We figured if we're gonna go back, we're gonna go back with a bang. Best way to do it, right?"

 **~ oOo ~**

"Shotgun!"

"Aw, man! Mom! Bella cheated!"

Bella smirked at her youngest brother, sticking her tongue out at him as she climbed into the front seat of the car. Alec trailed behind with a hang-dog expression, glowering when Renee just laughed and told him to get in.

"Bella, quit annoying your brother."

Alec chuckled; as the baby of the family by fifteen years, he loved to get his older siblings in trouble.

After breakfast, it was time for more traditional birthday festivities; Edward and Charlie headed to the docks to go fishing while Renee, Bella, and Alec took off shopping. Alec complained endlessly about not being allowed to stay home by himself but was soon appeased when his mom promised him a _McDonalds_ if he stopped whining.

 **~ oOo ~**

"Mo- _om_! When are we stopping for lunch? I'm starving!"

Renee tutted, ruffling her son's dark mop of hair. It wouldn't be long before he was taller than her; he was already rapidly approaching her petite five-four. "In just a second, baby." She turned to face Bella, who was shoving her latest purchases into her single shopping bag.

"What?" Bella asked, following her mom's bemused glance toward her over-filled bag. "I'd rather just carry one full bag than a bunch of half-empty ones."

Renee laughed, shaking her head in indulgent amusement. "All right. Shall we go find some lunch? Apparently, your brother is wasting away. Look – isn't he just emaciated?" Renee tickled her son's ribs until he panted a 'surrender' through his giggles, shooting his mom a scowl as he shuffled a safe distance away from her. She grinned and wiggled her fingers at him, following Alec as he tore off ahead toward the golden arches on the upper floor of the mall.

Bella shook her head and looped her hand through Renee's crooked arm. "Shall we, mother dearest?"

Renee smiled, leaning in to kiss her daughter's cheek. She had an odd look in her eyes, like maybe she knew something Bella didn't, but it was gone as quickly as it had appeared. "Come on, then. I've got a hankering for a McFlurry, but don't tell your father – we're on a diet."

 **~ oOo ~**

By the time they made it back to the house, Bella was exhausted, Alec was bored, and Renee was looking forward to letting the boys take control of cooking for the evening. Edward and Charlie had beaten them home and were already out in the yard by the grill; they had their customary bucket filled with ice and bottles of beer close-by, matching backward baseball caps on their heads, and grins on their faces as Charlie gesticulated wildly as he spoke.

As she and Renee pulled the salad they'd prepared earlier from the fridge, Alec charging down the porch steps to join his dad and brother with a _clack_ of the screen door slamming behind him, Bella watched her mother. She wore a soft, happy smile as she stared out the window at her husband and sons; not for the first time, Bella wondered if that would ever be her. She wondered if she'd be the content wife and mother watching her husband and children goof around in the yard of their family home.

It hurt that the face of her imaginary husband appeared suspiciously similar to Carlisle's.

It had been over two weeks since their one and only meeting, and Bella had given up hope of him returning. He'd been so sweet, so tender…well, until he went all animal on her, anyway.

Bella's cheeks flushed as she ducked her head away from her mother's curious gaze, focusing intently on the herbs she was supposed to be chopping for the burgers she could smell cooking.

It was ridiculous, but she _missed_ him. Every night since he'd fucked and ducked her, she'd been unable to focus at work; her eyes sought him out in the crowds. After the first week, Bella kind of figured he wasn't coming back. Still, she looked. Jake had even commented on her preoccupation and it wasn't like him to notice anything. Bella had bumbled through a pathetic story about having a headache and feeling out of sorts, escaping to the kitchen. He'd forgotten all about it by the time she returned ten minutes later, but she'd been extra stealth-like since.

Not that it had made a difference. Carlisle wasn't interested, and he hadn't come back.

Bella felt a pang in her stomach as she accepted that she was disappointed – in herself as well as Carlisle. She should have known not to get attached to the gorgeous stranger.

"Are you okay, honey?"

Bella startled, dropping the knife against the counter with a clatter; meeting her mom's concerned blue eyes, she rested a palm over her churning stomach.

"You look a little green. Are you feeling all right?"

"I'm fi—" Bella slapped a hand over her mouth before she could finish the word 'fine,' tearing out of the kitchen toward the downstairs bathroom, leaving Renee staring after her in shock. She skidded to a stop, bowing over the toilet as her lunch made an unexpected reappearance.

" _Fuck._ " As she panted, recovering from the sudden burst of movement as well as her body's random upheaval, Bella felt her mother's soft, cool hands at the back of her neck. It was a familiar scene when Bella had lived with her parents before moving into the apartment above JBs, but her mom hadn't seen her throw up for years. Bella couldn't deny that her comforting touch was helping, though.

A glass of water appeared in her peripheral vision. "Here, honey. Sip."

"Thanks." Bella croaked, gratefully sipping the tepid water until her stomach cramps subsided before standing with a sheepish smile. "Sorry, Mom. I don't know what came over me."

Renee pursed her lips, that odd, all-knowing look in her eyes from earlier back again. "Don't worry. Are you feeling better?"

Bella nodded slowly. Now her stomach had settled, she felt perfectly fine. Weird.

"Good. Come on; I think you should hang on eating for a little bit, but the food is almost ready. We can sit outside and get some fresh air."

"I'm just gonna brush my teeth. I'll be right out."

Renee nodded with a soft smile, caressing her daughter's cheek before leaving her to take care of business.

Once she was alone, Bella used one of the disposable toothbrushes her parents kept in case any of Alec's friends came for a sleepover and forgot theirs, rinsed her mouth several times, then headed out to join her family.

"All right, pukey?"

Bella jabbed Edward in the shoulder with her elbow and ruffled her not-so-little, little brother's hair as she sat behind him on his lounger, smiling over at her parents as Charlie danced Renee around the maple tree at the foot of the yard.

Bella couldn't resist pulling her phone from her pocket to snap a photo of them, so serene and lost in each other. She pressed 'capture' just as Renee threw her head back with a light laugh, Charlie grinning proudly.

As the siblings' cackling drew the attention of their parents, Charlie and Renee wrapped their arms around one another and smiled at their family.

Resting her chin on Alec's shoulder and looping her arms around his waist, Bella gave him a quick squeeze and snapped a selfie. They rearranged themselves when Edward complained they'd left the best Swan sibling out, then again when Alec protested at being called the 'baby of the family,' even though he was.

Little did any of them know, he wouldn't be the baby of the family for long.

 **~ oOo ~**

 _ **October 8**_ _ **th**_ _ **, 2011 – A few weeks later**_

"Fuckity, fuck, fuckeration."

" _Bells! You gonna be much longer?_ "

Swallowing back bile, Bella flushed the toilet and rose from her knees, shoving the trash into the bin in the corner. "Coming, Dad! One sec!"

Charlie kissed her head on his way past and slammed the door shut behind him, leaving Bella alone in the hall.

Well, not completely alone. She wouldn't be totally by herself for another, oh…eight months or so.

Ducking into the room she'd been inhabiting since her dick of a landlord decided to kick her out two weeks ago, with only the minimum notice, Bella huffed and sat heavily on her bed. Her eyes were drawn down to the white stick in her lap.

Whose dumb idea was it to use a positive sign on these things, anyway? Bella felt anything but positive. Her stomach churned, and she knew better now than to brush it off as stomach flu, like she had the past couple of weeks.

"What the hell am I gonna do?" She whined, throwing herself backward. It didn't do her jumbled tummy any good; she immediately wished her dad would hurry up in the bathroom before she was forced to throw up in her brother's science fair trophy.

In the first couple of weeks after her tryst with Carlisle, Bella had thought of him often. When it had become glaringly obvious that he wasn't coming back, that he wasn't interested in her like she'd thought, Bella had pushed him from her mind and forced herself to forget him.

It hadn't worked, of course. Not completely. But she'd been successful at thinking about other things, at least. In fact, for the past few days, she'd even entertained the idea of agreeing to go on the date one of her regular customers had been begging for since the spring when he moved to the area. Riley was a sweet man with mousy brown hair, dark brown eyes, and a gentle, soft smile. Bella would have fun with him; she knew that.

But now…

Bella's hand trembled as she rested it over her flat stomach. The thought of going on a date with Riley while she was carrying Carlisle's baby made her feel sick. Wincing, Bella lightly ran her fingertips over her tank-top covered belly.

 _There's…there's a baby in there,_ she thought with more than a hint of nerves. _What the hell am I gonna do with a baby?_

Another, more immediately terrifying thought occurred to Bella then – _what the hell am I gonna tell my parents?_

A sinking feeling overtook Bella's body as she pictured her dad's face; he'd be furious. Sure, she was twenty-four and had two steady jobs – but she was also living in her little brother's, _Star Wars_ themed bedroom above her parents' garage. The thought of Charlie's face when Bella inevitably had to admit she didn't know the father made her wince and groan aloud. All she knew about Carlisle was his name – which wouldn't get her that far on its own. She had no idea where he lived, where he worked…nothing. As a lifelong cop and overprotective parent of his only daughter, Charlie would have a field day berating her for not being more careful.

Even though all she wanted to do was crawl back into bed and wallow in self-pity for the rest of her life, Bella dragged herself up and back into the bathroom once she'd heard the front door slam behind Charlie, his cruiser peeling out of the driveway below her window. Pausing on the landing, she could just about make out her mom talking to Alec downstairs.

" _Come on, honey. Get your backpack; we're going to be late to school."_

" _Five more minutes, Mom. Please?"_

Renee laughed. _"No more minutes, Alec. Get off the PlayStation and get your butt to the car, please."_

Bella smiled to herself, but it fell abruptly when she realized that it would be _her_ ushering her child to school in a handful of years. The sound of the screen door slamming shut behind Alec, closely followed by Renee's soft reprimand, startled Bella back into action.

"Snap out of it, Swan," she muttered to herself, heading into the bathroom and hitting the button to start the shower with more force than was strictly necessary. If she was going to make it through the day, Bella knew she needed to distract herself and think about something other than the mess she'd gotten herself into.

Jake had taken his wife, Rebecca, and JB Junior a few hours north to celebrate her birthday with family. Bella had agreed to look after the bar for the long weekend, not realizing it coincided with the dates Rachel – the only other bartender – had already booked off. It hadn't been an issue before, bearing in mind nothing major was going on, but in light of Bella's recent discovery, she absolutely didn't want to be at work.

At the scene of the crime.

However, she didn't have a choice; she stripped off, stepped into the shower, and set about washing the sickness-induced sweat from her skin.

After applying enough make-up to cover the green tint to her complexion, Bella tugged on a hoodie, jeans, and her trusty, well-worn _Chucks_ , swiped two leftover waffles from breakfast off the counter and headed out to ride the bus to JBs.

By the time she reached the bar, Bella was determined to put her sticky situation to the back of her mind and ignore it for the time being. She let herself in and marched toward Jake's office, studiously ignoring the third booth and the way it made her feel simultaneously turned on and nauseated remembering what had happened there.

 **~ oOo ~**

 _ **October 20**_ _ **th**_ _ **, 2011 – Twelve days later**_

"Isabella Swan?"

Bella raised a shaky hand and followed the nurse with the sympathetic smile back into an examination room.

"I'm Nurse Kay; I'll be taking your appointment today. I understand your family clinician sent you after you experienced some bleeding? How are you feeling now? Have you had any more bleeding?"

"I've…been better," Bella admitted in a trembling voice. "I haven't had any more bl-bleeding, though."

Nurse Kay's lips curled up as she squeezed Bella's shoulder. She had a kind, soft smile; the type that would ordinarily make Bella feel better, but did nothing to calm her today.

When she'd stumbled into the bathroom for her first wee of the morning and immediately noticed the blood, her first thought had been _period_. Then she'd remembered; _I'm pregnant_ , _it can't be my period_. Panic had swiftly ensued, followed by an emergency call to her doctor who'd put in a request for her to move her appointment to two days earlier than planned with the prenatal team. Two hours of anxiety later, Bella was here at the clinic.

Even though she'd spent the past, almost-two-weeks ignoring the unplanned visitor taking up residence in her womb, the idea that something could be wrong absolutely terrified Bella.

She stuttered her way through all the questions Nurse Kay asked; medical history, previous hospitalizations, the dates of her last period, and so on, for what felt like forever until finally, _finally_ , she sighed.

"I have a couple of exams to perform, but I think they can wait."

Bella's smile was tremulous at best, as she rolled up her top while Nurse Kay squirted cool jelly onto her abdomen. Bella's eyes found her flat belly, suddenly petrified she wouldn't get to see it expand as her child grew within. For the first time, she let herself picture her mid-section rounded and rippling as her baby kicked, like Renee's had when she was carrying Alec; he'd been a little soccer player even in the womb. She almost managed a smile at the image of Alec being as engrossed with _her_ belly as she'd been with Renee's. He doted on his friends' younger siblings; he'd love a niece or nephew to play with.

Tears hovered on Bella's lashes as she tipped her head back, facing the ceiling as Nurse Kay pressed the Doppler to her skin. Bella couldn't look at the screen. A horrible, heavy feeling settled in Bella's heart as it began to race in her chest.

 _I'm sorry for not being more loving, baby,_ she thought sadly. _Please be okay. I promise I'll be better from now on if you just stay with me—_

The sudden, unexpectedly loud _thrum-thrum-thrum_ coming from the machine at her side made Bella jump. She gasped, her head shooting up, eyes immediately moving to the screen. Her tears tumbled over her cheeks as Nurse Kay turned to her with a wide grin.

"Everything looks perfect, sweetheart. _This_ ," she leaned in and pointed to a small, gray-white blob in the middle of a black circle, "is your baby. I know it doesn't look like much just yet, but there's the head, body…and some stumpy little legs."

Bella's tearful giggle was loud even against the thrumming of her baby's heart beating away. It was a strong sound; it comforted her more than she'd expected.

"This is your little one's heart, flickering away there. There's a very strong heartbeat, which is great news."

It was strange, but as Nurse Kay set about taking the necessary measurements – the baby was right on track despite the scan being two days before she was officially eight weeks – Bella felt a tangible change in her emotions. Before, 'the baby' was just permanent nausea and extra irritability when her brothers were being antagonistic.

Now…

Now, the baby was a real being. She could see it, bobbing around in what Nurse Kay informed her was essentially a bag of fluid – that would break when the day came for the baby to join the real world. Bella wiped the moisture from her eyes to be able to see better, leaning in when she was handed paper towels to dry her stomach. Nurse Kay had paused the screen on a profile shot of the baby and promised to print a few images for Bella to take home.

"I'll give you two a minute," she said with a wink, giving Bella's ankle a pat before quietly exiting the room.

Bella released a long sigh, scooting down the bed until she was directly in front of her baby.

"Hey, baby," she sniffled, reaching out to touch the image with one hand, the other coming to rest over her belly where he or she resided. "I'm your mommy." A laugh bubbled from within Bella as she heard herself. _I'm a mommy._ It was surreal to think of herself as an adult, let alone somebody's parent.

Having a baby wasn't something she'd planned. Bella had always wanted a family; in the future when she had a home of her own, a steady job with better hours, and preferably a husband. A pang of loneliness hit her square in the chest, quickly followed by guilt that she was here witnessing this miracle while Carlisle had no idea it even existed.

She wondered if he'd care.

Nurse Kay returned a few minutes later laden with pamphlets about pregnancy, prenatal vitamins, and care regimes, and do's and don'ts. With those tucked into Bella's backpack, she handed over the slip for her next appointment in four days' time to perform the exams they'd skipped today, then smiled and held out the three photos she'd printed.

"Will that be enough copies?"

Bella nodded quickly, tracing the outline of her baby's body with her thumb. Really, she only needed the one, but it was nice to have a couple of spares. You know, for if she ever got up the courage to tell her parents they were going to be grandparents. "Yes, thank you."

"All right, well, take care. I'll see you in a few days for the examinations, and then it'll be a few weeks until your twelve-week scan. If you have any questions or feel uneasy about anything, anything at all, just give us a call. All the details are in the pack I just gave you. Any concerns, any questions…don't feel silly, just give us a ring. At this point, we've heard it all, so there's no need to feel embarrassed."

Shooting the friendly nurse a grateful smile, Bella gathered her things and stood; she fought back the impulse to hug the woman who'd managed to comfort and reassure her despite being a perfect stranger. "Thank you. You've been wonderful."

"No need to thank me, dear. It's my job to look after you so you can look after your precious little one!" Nurse Kay had a twinkle in her gray eyes as she leaned in as though sharing a secret. "Besides, I just like to cash in on the baby cuddles at the end of the pregnancy."

Bella laughed, admitting that baby cuddles _were_ a pretty good incentive. She thanked her again, heading out into the cool air with a smile on her face and the images of her baby tucked safely in her purse.

Never before had she worn such a big smile to work.


	4. Chapter Four

**I'm sorry this update is late! I have  
no excuse other than to say that real  
life sort of got on top of me.**

 **Big thank you to** SunflowerFran **for working  
her red pen like a magician and turning  
the garbage I send her into the chapters  
you get to read.**

 **And a huge thank you to all of you for being  
patient with me and for sticking with these slightly  
flawed characters.**

 **Enjoy! xo**

 **~ oOo ~**

 **Neapolitan**

He was the beautiful blond-haired stranger from the bar, and she was the pretty brunette barmaid who couldn't resist him. Together, they burned. Apart, they were cold. As cold as the ice cream trickling over the fingers of a little boy with strawberry hair. There are a million different flavors of ice cream out there worth trying, or maybe just one; Neapolitan.

 **~ oOo ~**

 **Chapter Four**

… _ **still October 20**_ _ **th**_ _ **, 2011**_

Hours later, the weekday regulars were pretty much all present, and Bella was comfortably busy behind the bar. A college football game was playing on the flat-screen in the far corner, but she only managed to catch a few plays here and there between serving. JB Junior was down with chicken pox, so she'd sent Jake up to help Rebecca before she had a meltdown taking care of their cranky son by herself.

"You want another, Ricky?"

The toothless old man grinned, revealing his gums as he slid his glass along the bar. "Please, young lady."

"It's 'Bella,' Ricky," she laughed, topping his up glass with his usual. The rich bourbon smell made her stomach clench, but she swallowed it back, chewed hard on her gum, and set a bowl of peanuts beside Ricky's drink, leaving him with a parting wink as she made a run to the kitchen for clean glasses.

It had been a relatively easy day, despite her earlier worries; she'd managed to keep her mind preoccupied for the most part with a steady stream of patrons and a seemingly never-ending pile of paperwork. Her jubilance at seeing her baby for the first time overrode her anger at the state of the office, so she'd gone easier on Jake than usual. There was an added spring to her step and a permanent smile on her face. That said, Jake _had_ been the recipient of a few choice words when she'd realized just how badly he'd been neglecting the office in recent weeks, but he'd simply responded with a heart and yet another promise of a raise.

"Yeah, right," Bella mumbled, shaking her head as she carried a tray of clean glasses and a plate of salt and vinegar chips back to the bar. Bella had been so busy that she'd forgotten to eat and found herself suddenly ravenous.

As soon as she stepped through the kitchen doors into the space behind the bar, with her mouth full of chips, she felt him.

The heat of his gaze was palpable; it was an electric tingle spreading across her entire body. Bella sucked in a breath and gazed around the room, finally finding him sitting across from her.

In the booth. _Their_ booth.

She set down the tray of glasses with shaky hands, the chips following suit. Abruptly feeling rather nauseated, Bella used the bar for support and forced her eyes away from the man boring holes into her face with his gaze.

 _Fuckity, fuck, fuck. He looks gorgeous. Even hotter than before, the bastard. What the hell am I going to do?_

This time, Carlisle had come dressed in a plaid shirt in various shades of blue and a pair of dark-wash jeans; check shirts had always been Bella's weakness. He sported a white pair of _Converse_ that perfectly matched the ones on her own feet, and his hair was gelled back, but not in the creepy, old guy way. It was actually, unexpectedly, hot.

Even as she served a couple of new customers and tried to make herself appear busy, Bella couldn't stop her eyes from drifting in his direction. He seemed to be having the same issue. His scrutiny burned and set her skin alight; creating a fever she knew only he could break. And all the while, her stomach twisted and flip-flopped, reminding her exactly why she had to avoid him at all costs and remain on the right side of the bar. The baby wasn't big enough for her to feel his or her movements just yet, but the sight of Carlisle had her unsettled stomach tying itself in anxious knots.

 _Hey, it can only happen once. Can't hurt to do it again for memory's sake._

"Urgh, _shut-the-fuck-up_!" Bella whined quietly at her subconscious, spinning with a yelp at the ensuing chuckle.

"Are you talking to yourself, beautiful Bella?"

 _Fuck me. Please and thank you. He looks even hotter up close. Positively sinful, the beautiful motherfucker._

"No…maybe. Okay, yes," she sputtered.

Carlisle laughed again, leaning on the bar with his elbows. It brought him closer, his twinkling blue eyes so very happy and entrancing.

 _To see me?_ Bella wondered, trying not to fall into that trap again. She'd done it once before, and look where it had gotten her.

"I've missed you, you know," he said. Conversationally, as if that was the sort of thing he told her all the time. Except he didn't, because the one and only time they'd met he'd fucked and ducked her, all within a couple of hours.

It had been eight weeks since then, and Bella wasn't interested. Well, she was trying to persuade herself that she wasn't, anyway. Wasn't that the same thing?

"Yeah?" Remembering how he'd done a disappearing act on her, Bella felt the anger she'd woken up with those eight weeks ago returning with a vengeance. Blank stare firmly in place, she picked back up where she'd left off, slicing a lemon right in front of him. She took great pleasure in his wince when her knife hit the chopping board with more force than strictly warranted.

"Bella, are you okay?"

"Mmhm, fine."

"The usual, please, Bells!"

Carlisle turned his head toward the voice yelling from the other end of the bar at the same time as Bella. She grinned, tucking the knife and board behind the counter before all-but skipping round, bypassing Carlisle entirely to leap straight into the arms of the behemoth man who'd just entered the bar. He laughed, spinning her a few times. Bella felt Carlisle's glare on her back, but it was easy to ignore when she felt the repercussions of being spun beginning to rise up her esophagus.

 _Urgh, pregnancy and spinning – not a good combination._

"Put me down, you big oaf! _Edward_ , put me down!" She slapped at his shoulders, leaning toward his face with her tongue outstretched in warning.

He chortled and set her on her feet, hands lifting in surrender; he always gave in when she threatened to lick his face. It had been her go-to move when he'd annoyed her as a child. Despite being four years older than him, Edward had caught up with her in size alarmingly quickly. By the time he was eight, and she was twelve, he towered over her.

Now, aged twenty to her twenty-four, he stood freakishly tall at six-four while she was a petite five-three. "All right, all right. Sheesh, killer. Chill out."

Bella smiled, though she felt decidedly nauseated and vaulted quickly over the bar, praying she wouldn't actually puke. So far today her sickness had been noticeably absent, but she didn't want to push her luck. "The usual, yeah?"

"Please. Just the three of us today, though."

"I'll be right over; go sit. Chips?"

"Stupid question, Bells."

Bella grinned at Edward's back as he moved to the table below the TV where his buddies were already waiting, then set to work on their drinks. They always ordered the same – _Corona_ with a wedge of lime in the bottleneck. She'd done it one day as an experiment, and they'd loved it, making it their new boys' night tradition.

"Have I done something to upset you, Bella?"

She cast a look over her shoulder, cursing herself for putting the confused, sad look on Carlisle's face with her behavior. His mouth was pursed, eyes narrowed, and brows furrowed. The happy blue of his eyes had faded to bemused gray, and she felt like shit for it. He'd thrown her off with his presence on a day when she was already discombobulated from her scare that morning. She'd been thinking about the baby and her situation all day after two weeks of repressing all baby - and Carlisle-related thoughts. Eventually, after mulling over her options, Bella had accepted that she needed to track him down to tell him about the baby. She'd never forgive herself if she left it and, one day, her baby asked about his or her father only for her to say that she had no idea where or who he was because she hadn't bothered to try to search for him.

She hadn't expected to see him so soon, though.

"Nope," she finally lied, popping the 'p.' "I'll be right with you, Sir."

His eyes followed her to Edward, Riley, and Marcus, so she made sure to add a little extra badonkadonk to her hips as she walked.

For the next two hours, he sat at the bar and nursed the one and only drink he ordered, simply watching her with a pensive frown.

He watched her serve customers, clean glasses, goof around with her brother and his friends…whatever she did, he watched…that confused look on his bastard face. Bella grew increasingly frustrated with him; for being there, for not saying anything, and for driving her batshit crazy with his unreadable expression.

Bella would have found it creepy if it weren't for the soft glint in his eyes, the way his lips lifted whenever she smiled, or the protective scowl on his face when a newbie customer got a little handsy.

Edward had made it to her first, one eye always on her even when he was out with his boys, and she was glad.

Closing time finally arrived not a minute too soon, all-but-one leaving; Carlisle.

When she headed out the back for a mop and bucket, and he was still sitting at the bar, swilling the remains of his drink around in the bottom of his glass, she huffed. "What are you doing? I need to lock up," Bella snapped, frustrated, tired and so damn confused.

"Talk to me."

"No."

Carlisle smirked. "You sound like my niece. Petulance suits you better."

"And you sound like my grandfather – irritating. Now go, please."

The smirk fell, replaced by determination. Bella leaned the mop against the bar and stepped back as he slid from the stool, stalking her backward until she couldn't go any further. Her spine pressed against the door, her hands flat against the wood at her sides. She breathed deeply, catching a faint trace of his aftershave.

She remembered it well. Woodsy, spicy, with a hint of citrus; she liked it.

The shirt from that night had smelled of him for days. Bella had worn it to bed every night for a week, tucking it into her dresser when the scent had evaporated.

"What…" she gulped. "What are you doing?"

He was inches away, then centimeters. Bella inhaled a deep breath, shuddering when it made her nipples brush his chest through the thin material of their t-shirts. She remembered reading that pregnancy made the breasts and nipples more sensitive, but only for some women; Bella could definitely relate. She'd always thought of her breasts as helpful for attracting men in the first place, but not much else.

Now, though…

Even the hint of his muscular chest brushing her hardening nipples had her whimpering.

"Please, talk to me."

"I don't want to," she breathed, fighting back a moan.

"Hm." Carlisle cocked his head, reaching up to curl a lock of her hair around his pinky finger. She shivered, tipping her head up to stare at him defiantly. He smiled, the lazy grin at odds with the tense atmosphere surrounding them. The air between their bodies crackled with electricity, Bella's skin humming in reaction to his proximity. She felt her heart racing, the familiar heat flaring up between her legs just like it did whenever she looked at him, the booth they'd desecrated, or the t-shirt she'd worn in the minutes leading up to said desecration.

"You're mad at me, but I don't know why, and you won't talk to me," he correctly surmised.

"Glad you got it. Well done. Now just—"

Bella's words were suddenly cut off.

Carlisle dipped down to suck her lower lip between his teeth for a gentle nip. She moaned and would have collapsed if he hadn't wound his arms around her lower back as her legs wobbled, all-but giving out. Using his body to press her into the door, Carlisle kneaded her lower back before running one of his hands up her spine, tickling the spot at the base of her neck before winding his fingers through her wild curls. She'd left her hair down, not wanting to deal with taming it and not interested in what she looked like once she'd realized something could be wrong with the baby.

Carlisle's other hand slid down to possessively cup her ass, using the hold to grind her center against the hard bulge in his jeans.

She let loose a long, low groan, rocking against him and welcoming his tongue into her mouth despite knowing she should be pushing him away if touching him at all. She reached up to tug at his honey blond mane. The whimper it drew from him delighted her, the instinctive buck of his hips making her cry out.

"So good. So, so good," Bella panted, bumping her head against the door at her back when he used his nose at her chin to urge her face backward, wanting access to her neck. Carlisle laved a trail of soft, warm kisses over her collarbone, neck, and the spot below her ear. She whined, both in delirium and at the realization she was going to lose yet another perfectly good pair of panties.

The ones she was wearing were sodden already and he'd barely done anything.

Carlisle's hands were everywhere at once, his mouth trailing close behind. Soon, Bella was sans hoodie and jeans, panting and writhing against the door as he pinned her there with his hips. He tugged the 'v' of her shirt down to suckle on one nipple, shoving his hand under it to roll the other between his thumb and forefinger. The maddening pressure of his dick against her core, coupled with what he was doing with his hands and mouth, turned Bella into a wanton, begging mess. She forgot all her reasons for keeping her distance and being sensible, pleading with her hands and mumbled words for him to give in and give her what she wanted.

He ignored her, sliding two fingers into her panties to slip through the wetness covering her clit. She let out a harsh gasp when he grinned against her skin and sharply thrust his fingers into her entrance.

"Oh _fuck_!"

 _What is this man doing to me?_

"Making you come. Is that okay?"

"Shit. I didn't mean to… _oh, God, Carlisle…_ didn't mean to say that out…l-loud."

He grinned salaciously, pumping his fingers slowly. His eyes were dark as he watched her spiral toward her orgasm at warp speed. They reminded her of an inky night sky, a few specks within the gray almost resembling stars.

As she barreled toward her release, Carlisle managed to shove his jeans down with his free hand – all without dropping her. Bella barely had time to complain that he was removing his fingers from her before they were replaced by his cock, hard and perfect and hitting _that spot_ with every thrust until she fell apart in his arms, scratching the shit out of his back and screaming his name.

He followed a few thrusts later, grunting and breathing heavily against Bella's neck as he delivered his last, hard drive. Their bodies banged against the door with a heavy _thump_.

It only took a minute or so for Bella's orgasmic haze to fade, real life hitting her square in the gut.

Well, real life and the results of their first tryst.

"Oh, God…"

"I know. That was amazi—"

"Get off. Let me down, let me down, let me down!"

Carlisle shifted backward in confusion, holding her hips until her feet were steady on the floor. She slid out from beneath his arms and darted across the bar naked as the day she was born; the door to the lady's bathroom slammed shut behind her.

Carlisle frowned, suddenly petrified he'd hurt her. He hadn't been thinking clearly when he backed her into the door; he'd just been so desperate to see her. He'd forced himself to stay away this long, but he'd been unable to resist stepping into JBs after visiting a friend just a block away. He'd promised himself that he'd just have a peek and then leave; but he hadn't been able to drag himself away.

Then she'd been so mad, and he hadn't known what to do with himself.

She was adorable when she was angry; kitten-like, almost. She reminded him of his sister-in-law's Burmese cat, Princess. She was a horrible, vicious creature – until Henry and Vera were around. She turned into a big softie the second the twins arrived, even when they carried her around upside-down. Carlisle avoided her like the plague whenever he visited.

The muffled sound of a toilet flushing sparked Carlisle into action. He pulled on his jeans and was halfway through buttoning his shirt when the door creaked open.

"Are you okay? Did I hurt you?"

Bella's eyes darted up from the floor, her steps faltering. She looked surprised to see him. "You…you didn't leave."

Carlisle's brows furrowed. "No." Whispers of a burgeoning realization teased the edges of Carlisle's mind as he took in Bella's hunched figure and bloodshot eyes.

Something like anger crossed her face before a distinct paleness stole it away. She snatched her t-shirt from the ground where he'd tossed it. As she tugged the fabric over her head, he heard her mumble, "That's a change."

Suddenly, it clicked. The reason for her anger and hesitance to speak to him became glaringly obvious.

Shame washed over his face as he halted his movements and crossed the room in six strides. When Bella's head popped through the hole of her t-shirt, he was right in front of her; she gasped.

"I'm sorry for leaving. I had to babysit my niece and nephew across town, but I had to stop at my house for clothes on the way. You looked so peaceful; I couldn't bear to disturb you."

Bella glowered, though the spark of defiance in her chocolate brown eyes had dimmed slightly. She just looked plain weary. "Why didn't you leave a note?"

"I couldn't find anything to write on. I figured I'd come back when Rose got home, but my brother…" Carlisle silently vowed to punch his brother. If he hadn't insisted on taking Rosalie out that night, Carlisle could have returned to Bella, and they wouldn't be having this issue now. "I couldn't make it back, and the next morning I was called into work. I…" he trailed off with a sad sigh, the faces of the children who'd lost their lives flitting behind his eyelids. He'd attended every funeral, even though it killed him to see so many small coffins and so many heartbroken families.

"That just sounds like a lot of excuses, Carlisle," Bella huffed, arms folded over her chest.

"Did you hear about the bus crash? The elementary school bus?"

Frowning, Bella nodded slowly.

"I helped treat those kids. I'm doing my pediatric residency at the hospital they were all brought to."

Slowly, understanding seeped into the chocolate of her eyes. "You…you're a doctor?"

"Resident," he corrected gently. "I've got a year left before I complete my residency and graduate."

"And you were…treating the kids? Even the ones that…"

Carlisle gulped. "Even the ones that didn't make it, yes."

The anger seemed to leech from Bella's eyes, defeat taking its place. Carlisle watched her hunt down her panties, balling them up and shoving them in her pocket once she'd tugged on her jeans. She couldn't meet his gaze, and he allowed her some space while he looked for his shoes and socks, then finished buttoning his shirt. She was behind the bar by then, wiping it with a frown on her face and the occasional muttered curse.

"Bella…I'm sorry. Can you forgive me?"

Bella looked up; the despair in her eyes broke Carlisle's heart. He thought himself a nice man, one of the good guys. He'd never want to hurt a woman, let alone this one, who'd weaseled her way under his skin the second he'd laid eyes on her when he first stepped into JBs all those weeks ago. He'd expected to have a quiet drink and return home, but instead, he'd had the night of his life and found so much more in the sweet, passionate woman tending bar.

"Hey, what's the matter?" He was filled with horror when fat tears began tumbling over her cheeks, splashing the counter. Carlisle felt a tug on his heart and moved to make his way behind the bar to join her. She fought his embrace for barely a second before succumbing to the comfort he freely offered. He wound his long arms around her, lifting her body against his. Bella wound her feet around the backs of his legs, locking her ankles behind his knees as he cradled her against his chest and pressed a soft trio of kisses to the side of her head.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you. I thought I'd be able to just come back later in the day, then work went crazy, and I just…" he sighed into her hair, letting the gentle scent of her fruity shampoo calm him. "I thought it was too weird to just show up weeks later."

"Why are you here today then?" She mumbled against him.

He smirked, glad to hear her sarcasm returning, even if only slightly. "I couldn't stay away any longer. But I've upset you, so maybe I should have."

"I'm not crying because of that, stupid."

Bella felt a lump in the back of her throat. Her now-empty stomach ached from its self-imposed expulsion and reminded her of why she'd been trying to keep her distance from him. His entrancing gray-blues and that charming, hypnotizing smile were her kryptonite.

As for his lips…Bella sighed against Carlisle's neck, licking her still-tingling lower lip. She'd been powerless to resist when he'd begun kissing her.

And now, she was out of time.

It was now or never. If she didn't tell him now about the life they'd created, she might not get another chance to tell him and have him believe her. She felt so stupid, so naïve, to have not even thought of protection – either time they'd had sex. She was on the pill, but everyone knew it wasn't a hundred percent effective and he'd been a perfect stranger.

Hadn't her mother always preached about keeping her own stash of condoms, 'just in case?'

And she did. Yet they hadn't crossed her mind, not once, and now she was going to pay for it. She was going to lose the respect of her family and friends – possibly her jobs, too. How was she going to manage two, high-energy jobs once she was heavily pregnant? It would be impossible. And she couldn't pay rent or buy food if she wasn't working…

And Carlisle…he wouldn't stick around. Not for an easy lay whose baby may or may not be his, for all he knew. After all, she hadn't made a very good impression of herself – sleeping with him so easily not just once, but twice.

With a pang of misery, Bella pulled her head back to peer up at Carlisle. Beautiful, kind, training-to-be-a-pediatrician, Carlisle with the smooth voice and body of a God. Belatedly, she realized that she knew nothing else about him. His age, where he was from, where he lived or even which hospital he worked at, even though he'd alluded to it. Nothing.

Maybe it was better that way. There was less to miss if she knew nothing but his voice and his body.

"Then why are you crying?" He asked, obviously confused but still smiling as he brushed his nose along the apple of her cheek and pressed a kiss below her eye.

Bella swallowed hard. _Here goes nothing_. "I'm crying because I'm pregnant. And the baby's yours."

 _Goodbye, Carlisle._

* * *

 ***hides behind hands* Please don't kill me LOL!**

 **For those of you who read the original one-shot, the next part is going be brand-spanking new and will go some way in explaining how they ended up where they were in that one-shot.**

 **Happy Saturday! xo**


	5. Chapter Five

***tumbleweeds?* Hello? Anyone there?  
I'm sorry for the massive delay between chapters.  
All I can say without waffling for eleventy-billion years  
is that real life has been...hectic, to say the least.**

 **I'm back on track now and ready to get back into a routine  
with both this and Promises To Keep. Thank you to any and all  
of you for sticking around and being patient with me. If any of  
you are also following PTK, that will be uploading later today.**

 **As always, lots of hugs and gratitude to** SunflowerFran **and  
her magical red pen!**

 **I _think_ this chapter will make you happy. A lot of you have  
been asking for this in your reviews, so, here you go :)**

 **~ oOo ~**

 **Neapolitan**

He was the beautiful blond-haired stranger from the bar, and she was the pretty brunette barmaid who couldn't resist him. Together, they burned. Apart, they were cold. As cold as the ice cream trickling over the fingers of a little boy with strawberry hair. There are a million different flavors of ice cream out there worth trying, or maybe just one; Neapolitan.

 **~ oOo ~**

 **Chapter Five**

 _ **October 23**_ _ **rd**_ _ **, 2011**_

Bella fidgeted with the tasseled strap of her handbag, her bloodshot eyes bouncing between the two entrances to the coffee shop. She'd chosen a seat right at the back against the wall, so she'd have no chance of missing his entry, but she was still paranoid she wouldn't see him, and he'd manage to creep up on her.

"Your hot chocolate, miss."

Bella jumped, peering up at the barista through wide eyes. He was a tall, skinny, acne-ridden kid with a small smile. She managed to curl her lips upward just enough to appease him as she accepted her drink with a soft, "Thank you."

Instead of the standard, 'Can I get you anything else?' Bella received a mumbled, 'you're welcome' before he turned and ran back to the safety of the counter.

She wasn't all that surprised, if she was honest. After two sleepless nights, two full days of morning sickness that lasted from sun-up to sun-down, plus all her worrying about Carlisle, Bella knew she looked awful. When Bella received Carlisle's text an hour ago, she'd been so desperate to make sure she got there on time that she'd skipped the bath she'd planned, scraped her hair back into a messy bun, and tugged on her comfiest clothes; a pair of cropped gray joggers, a baby pink tank top, and a matching, pink zip-up hoodie.

The text had simply read:

 **Hi Bella. Can we meet? Starbucks by the hospital at 8? Carlisle.**

She quickly responded with a **Yes, that's fine. See you there! Bella x** , but he hadn't responded again and here she was, forty minutes later at eight-fifteen with no sign of Carlisle.

Sipping her hot drink, Bella let her mind drift back to Thursday evening.

 _Bella swallowed hard. Here goes nothing. "I'm crying because I'm pregnant, Carlisle. And the baby's yours."_

 _The silence following her whispered words was deafening._

 _She dropped her forehead to rest against his sternum but was unsurprised when he pulled away after just a few seconds._

 _He peered down at her; his brows were furrowed, gray eyes dark and stormy. "You…you're p-pregnant? You're having a…a baby."_

 _Even with his tempest gaze staring back at her, Bella couldn't suppress the slightest of smiles at the mention of the baby. She still had her arms wrapped around his shoulders, but she loosened her hold and slid back to the floor, resting her palms over her still-flat belly; it didn't go unnoticed that his eyes remained on her face._

" _Yes. Eight weeks yesterday."_

 _She watched him do the math in his head. The numbers and dates whizzed behind his eyes; a long sigh followed the flash of realization._

" _It was eight weeks since we…?"_

" _Slept together the first time. Yes."_

 _Bella felt bereft when Carlisle released her completely to take a big step backward. He walked around the bar, sitting himself on a stool as Bella pulled a bottle of the Jack Daniels from the shelf and a glass bottle of lemonade from the under-counter fridge. When she turned back to him, he had his elbows on the bar, head in his hands, and his shoulders shook. At first, she thought he was crying._

 _Then she heard him._

" _Are you kidding? You're kidding, right? This is a joke because I didn't come straight back, isn't it?" He chuckled with a hint of desperation, glancing up at her through tented fingers._

 _Instead of being angry, as she probably should have been, all Bella felt was sympathy. Even as he laughed, the despair and terror were clear as day in the tense set of his shoulders and the pleading look in his eyes. Just two weeks ago, Bella had seen that exact expression when she looked at herself in the mirror after taking the pregnancy test. She knew exactly what 'overwhelmed' looked like and she wasn't going to hold it against him. At this point, Bella had two weeks of adjusting to her new lodger under her belt; Carlisle had_ just _found out that his life was going to change irrevocably._

 _Bella poured a double Jack Daniels, leaving it neat, then set it in front of Carlisle and uncapped her lemonade. After taking a long pull of the refreshingly cool liquid, she inhaled deeply and pursed her lips._

" _I'm not kidding."_

 _Carlisle's shoulders slumped; the fight drained from his body. "Oh, Jesus."_

The jingling of the bell over one of the coffee shop doors startled Bella from her memories.

 _Oh, holy moly…_

Bella's stomach clenched – pleasantly, for the first time in days – as she watched Carlisle enter the shop. He'd come dressed in a fitted cream Henley, brown chinos, brown leather boat shoes, and a tailored, navy peacoat, which he'd left open. A brown, canvas messenger bag hung at his side from his white-knuckled fist. There were a handful of people getting their morning coffees on their way to begin their day; every woman turned to watch the handsome blond enter the café. Bella smiled to herself when she spotted the shy, hesitant look on Carlisle's face as he ordered his coffee before peering around in search of her.

It warmed Bella to see the way his lips curled upward when he spotted her. She offered a small wave and sucked in a few mouthfuls of her hot chocolate as he weaved through the tables to join her.

"I'm sorry I'm late," Carlisle murmured when he reached Bella's table. He stopped across from her, a soft, apologetic glint in his gaze. "I got caught up and misjudged how long it would take to get over here."

"That's okay," Bella rushed out; she was just pleased he'd come at all. Bella had spent the past two days wondering if he'd make use of her number. She'd scribbled it on the back of a JBs coaster and tucked it into the pocket of his jeans when he'd downed his drink and mumbled an apology before admitting he needed to leave to get his head straight. Bella had let him go but asked him to contact her one way or another when he decided what he wanted to do.

Neither of them had voiced the word 'baby' again.

Bella, because she didn't want to overwhelm him any more than she already had, and Carlisle, because it hadn't sunk in yet.

He'd spent a day working himself to the bone before realizing at some point the following morning that it wasn't going to go away. The situation wasn't going to change.

Bella was pregnant with his baby. She'd told him that she'd be going ahead with the pregnancy whether he wanted in or not, so there was really only one option. As much as Carlisle was petrified and hadn't wanted to have children for a few years, if ever, he could never live happily knowing he had a child out there somewhere he'd never met or had a hand in raising. He didn't have it in him to be an absent father, so he'd taken a day to get his head straight and attempted to pluck up the courage to ask Bella to meet with him. After a pep talk from Angela, his colleague at the hospital and the only person he'd confided in about this whole mess, he'd sent a quick message and been stunned when she replied so quickly.

Because he hadn't expected her swift response, he'd been only half-prepared to meet her. Carlisle had sprinted to the showers before pulling on the spare clothes he always kept in his locker. On his way out of the hospital, he'd been stopped by his residency supervisor, which had made him run even later. So by the time he skidded to a stop outside Starbucks, Carlisle felt like he'd run a marathon, yet the hospital was only two blocks away.

Sinking into one of the leather tub chairs opposite Bella, Carlisle sighed heavily and forced himself to meet her gaze. She was simply looking back at him, no judgment or annoyance in her chocolate eyes. He'd expected both.

"I want to apologize for running out on you the other night. I was shocked, but I realize that you probably are too, so it wasn't fair to just run off and not even leave a way for you to contact me if you needed to."

Bella smiled softly. "You don't need to apologize, Carlisle. I…well, I appreciate that it was a shock. You hung around longer than I expected."

"I shouldn't have just left though. We have things to talk about, don't we?"

With a sheepish smile, Bella nodded, staring down at the melting cream floating on the surface of her drink. "We do. I'm..."

"You're…?" Carlisle prompted gently.

Bella blew out a breath. "I'm surprised you believed me so easily."

Carlisle had to admit he was surprised with himself, too, but even when he'd been freaked out and overwhelmed by the news, not once had the thought that she was lying crossed his mind. Possibly, it should have, but for whatever reason, Carlisle believed it; he believed _her_. The look in her eyes and the hurt on her face when he'd walked into the bar on Thursday night convinced him just as much as the way she'd squeezed him as she'd uttered those fateful words.

" _I'm pregnant, Carlisle. And the baby's yours._ "

They had played on a loop in his mind for the past two days and finally become too hard to ignore. This morning, after a long, exhausting shift, he forced himself to face up to his new reality; one in which he was going to become a father, whether he liked it or not.

"I don't think you're the sort of girl to lie about something like this," he said carefully, beseeching her with his intense eyes to look at him. When she finally did, he sighed. "And I couldn't take the chance, anyway." Inhaling a deep breath to center himself, Carlisle remembered his list and fished it out of the bag at his feet. "I made some notes…things I didn't want to forget to ask or say. Is that okay?"

"Yes! Yes, of course. I expected you to have questions for me."

Carlisle couldn't help it; he smiled. She was so eager to make him feel at ease and accommodate him. "Thank you. So, um, first one was how far…how far along are you, but you said, 'eight weeks?'"

Bella nodded. "Eight weeks yesterday, yeah. I had a little…" her cheeks flushed crimson, piquing Carlisle's curiosity. He didn't push though, and simply waited for her to continue. "Bleeding. I had a little bleeding. Everything is fine, though. I was supposed to have an appointment yesterday, but I went two days early instead, and they did a scan to check everything was okay, and it was. The nurse said everything looks perfect in there."

Carlisle watched her free hand move toward her stomach. She was wearing a thick, royal blue, knit sweater, but it didn't appear she was showing yet. He tried to think back to his maternity rotation and remembered that most expecting mothers didn't start to show until three months at the earliest; Bella still had a few weeks to go until then. He couldn't picture her with a rounded stomach like Rosalie's had been when she was pregnant. She was so petite, so doll-like.

"Carlisle?"

"Hm? Sorry, I spaced out for a minute."

Bella smiled. "That's okay." She hesitated for a moment before holding something out to Carlisle over the coffee table between them. "You can keep this. I've got a couple copies."

As his eyes fell to the paper she handed him, flipping it over, Carlisle felt himself tense. He'd seen plenty of scan photos before – from friends, relatives…hell, he still had two stuck to his fridge from when Henry and Vera were in utero.

But this was different. This little bean-shaped form was _his_. His and Bella's.

Carlisle's eyes stung as he traced his thumb over the baby's tiny body. It was very clear, as far as ultrasounds go, and he could make out the shape of his or her head, legs, and body easily. "Thank you," he croaked, clearing his throat. He'd never envisioned this moment being so emotional, but sitting there looking at the miniature body of the child he'd helped to create struck him to the core.

This… _this is my baby._ The thought seemed odd for a moment, but as Carlisle rolled it around his mind and let it soak into his heart, it became comfortable. Like a new pair of shoes that just need you to wiggle your toes to make them fit better.

"The nurse pointed out the strong heartbeat and everything," Bella told him softly. Carlisle met her gaze, blinking away a sudden onslaught of tears. "It was so loud, even she was surprised. She said you can't usually hear it so well, so early."

Carlisle chuckled, looking back down at the picture in his hand. "My mom heard mine the first time at her first scan and decided then and there I was obviously going to be a loud child."

Bella was wearing a soft, curious half-smile when he looked back up at her. "And were you? A loud child, I mean."

"I guess so. I mean, I wasn't as bad as my brother. Emmett was…" Carlisle shook his head. "Emmett _still is_ something else entirely. One day, the rest of his species will be discovered, and we'll finally have an answer."

It delighted Carlisle to hear the peals of laughter his words elicited from Bella. He couldn't contain his grin.

"That bad, huh? Well, that bodes well for this little one if he or she shares their uncle's genes."

Carlisle sobered slightly, but forced himself to smile when he realized Bella had noticed. "So, I suppose I have an angry family waiting to castrate me, huh?"

A burst of laughter erupted from Bella's lips; her hand flew up to cover her mouth, the sound having startled even her. "I'm sorry!" She said at his bemused expression. "It's just, I haven't told anyone yet. My family doesn't know, so you're safe…"

The, _for now_ , was audible even though she didn't say it, trailing off instead.

"Ah, okay. I haven't told my family yet, either. Uh," Carlisle rubbed the back of his neck. "My friend from the hospital – Angela – is the only person I've told."

An awkward, embarrassed look blanketed Bella's face, her voice quiet when she asked her next question. "This is kind of embarrassing to have to ask, but I'm going to plow through. Significant others…none on my end."

She just about managed to refrain from screaming aloud, but Bella's heart fell to her feet, and a jolt of rage shot through her veins as she watched the blue of Carlisle's eyes fade to gray as he averted his gaze. _Shit. He's married._ Her eyes darted down; no ring. _So, a girlfriend, then._

"Fuck. This is…look, I'm going to sound like such a shit."

"You've got a girlfriend," Bella spoke calmly, but Carlisle couldn't have missed her biting tone.

"Well, _no_. We're not exclusive—"

"Oh, God…" she breathed, her fist clenching around the mug in her hand. "I didn't think…I'm just one of many, aren't I? You have a harem of fuckbuddies, and I'm just one of them. Have you knocked up any of the others?"

She spoke quickly, but Carlisle got the gist. He longed to be able to tell her 'no,' that she was the only one; but that would be a lie. She _was_ the first girl he'd 'knocked up,' as she put it. Though he and Irina weren't exclusive, and she was aware he'd seen Bella two nights ago, she didn't know he'd been with her before. Their arrangement had sounded grand before he'd caved and gone to see Bella, but being with her had reminded him of exactly why he and Irina hadn't worked. They lacked the connection he had with Bella.

"No, Bella! Listen, I—"

"I've just remembered I've got to be somewhere. I have to…got to go. I'll call you."

"Bella, wait, I—"

Before he could get a word out, she was gone. Bella snatched up her bag and fled, the bell above the door jingling loudly as she left.

 **~ oOo ~**

 _ **October 28**_ _ **th**_ _ **, 2011 – Carlisle**_

Smooth, soft music filtered through the speakers on the mantle. The candle in the center or the small, two-person table flickered in the breeze sneaking through the open porthole kitchen window. The smell of lamb and mint infused the air, accompanied by the occasional hint of Chanel and the finest bottle of red wine stocked by the store on the corner.

"This is delicious, baby. Thank you."

Carlisle pursed his lips. "You're welcome." He moved a piece of broccoli around his plate, scowling at his own inability to just _say it_. He was delaying the inevitable, Carlisle knew that, but it didn't make tonight's task any easier.

He was going to tell Irina about the baby.

Since the disaster of a meeting on Sunday at _Starbucks_ , Carlisle had only heard from Bella once. _She'd sent him a single text, just the date of her next scan and the address of her OBG/GYN._

 _ **November 19**_ _ **th**_ _ **– 12-week scan at 8am.**_

 _He'd responded with a promise that he'd be there and checked his phone as often as possible between rounds and consults at the hospital, finally realizing she wasn't going to respond again._

 _Except, she had._

 _He'd just been getting into bed when his phone had pinged with an incoming message, Bella's name flashing across the screen along with the picture of their baby. Carlisle had taken a photo to save on his phone and stuck the small, square paper image to the fridge door with a pasta magnet Vera made with Esme._

 _ **I'm sorry for running off on Sunday. It was dumb.**_

 _Carlisle huffed, leaning back against the headboard._

 _ **Don't be silly**_

 _Then he paused, erasing the first three words before typing four different ones. He held his breath as he waited for her response, a smile curling his lips when her name flashed across the screen once more, this time with 'is calling' below the baby's image._

" _Hi," Carlisle said softly._

"Hey."

" _I thought…this would be easier. So, I just wanted to say you don't have to apologize for Sunday. I should have explained things better."_

 _Bella sighed; Carlisle hated that she sounded so sad._ "No, you shouldn't have to. It's nothing to do with me who—ah, what you do. I'm not your keeper."

" _I should have been honest with you about it from the beginning, but it was just awkward, you know?"_

"Yeah, it must be kinda awkward admitting to your fuck buddy that you've knocked up some girl from a bar."

 _The bite to her tone hit Carlisle right in the gut. "Bella, I—"_

"No, it's okay. I'm sorry; I shouldn't have said that. I don't know how to do…this."

 _Carlisle grinned despite himself, letting his head rest against the top of the leather headboard. He stared up at the ceiling. "I don't know how to do this either, whatever 'this' is. You reckon we can figure it out together?"_

"I reckon we don't have much choice," _Bella said wryly._

They'd talked for more than an hour; just about trivial things, but it made Carlisle feel a lot lighter and a whole lot more optimistic about this strange, awkward situation he now found himself in.

Regardless of his new optimism, it had made him realize that he needed to come clean to Irina. He'd been a fool to think he'd be happy with a half relationship with her, and the idea of being with her knowing Bella was out there, carrying his baby and navigating this sticky situation alone, didn't sit right with him. Irina had already commented on his preoccupation twice since she arrived two hours ago.

"Carlisle? Are you all right?"

Carlisle's eyes found Irina's cool blue gaze. She was a lawyer; inquisitive and able to read him well. It should have occurred to him before now that she'd be all over his distracted thoughts like white on rice.

"I'm sorry. I need to talk to you, and I'm…"

"You're nervous," Irina said gently, pushing her plate away and resting her folded hands neatly on the table in front of her.

Carlisle released a long puff of breath. "Yeah. 'Nervous' is a slight understatement."

"Well, come on then. Out with it. You're making _me_ nervous, now."

 _Here goes nothing._ "I…well, you know the woman I…ummm—"

"The woman from the bar – the one you slept with?"

 _Fuck. This is hard._ Irina's all-knowing gaze and tense demeanor weren't helping.

"Yes," he croaked. "Bella. She's…she's pregnant. It's… _the baby_ , is mine."

A flash of something like hurt flashed through her icy eyes but was gone before Carlisle could read into it. "I know."

With wide eyes and a racing heart, Carlisle asked, "What? How?"

Irina nodded toward the fridge, and Carlisle's heart sank. Of course.

"The scan picture; you thought I wouldn't notice? It's been there for the past three days, and I'm not blind." She sighed and reached around the candle to hold Carlisle's hand. "Look, Carlisle, we never made any promises to one another, did we? And I knew you'd been with another woman before we rekindled this…whatever it is. I'm not going to hold it against you if you end this now. I just…are you _sure_ this baby is yours?"

It was odd, the way Carlisle bristled at Irina's insinuation. He felt…protective; of Bella, and of the baby. He knew his feelings were obvious when Irina's eyes softened, her hand sliding back to the other side of the table.

"I see. I think I'm going to go."

A bolt of panic rushed through Carlisle's veins, but he knew this needed to happen. He couldn't go ahead with Irina while Bella carried his baby. He just couldn't do it.

"Irina, wait. At least finish your dinner."

Her smile was tinged with sadness as she slipped on her blazer and gathered her things. "I think it's best I go now. Thank you for dinner, Carlisle. It really was delicious."

He sighed and watched her stuff her phone and keys in her purse, then stood as she made her way toward the door. "Irina, I'm sorry."

"Don't be. But promise me one thing?"

They stood in the doorway, Irina's hands lifting to smooth the collar of his gray check shirt.

"Protect yourself? Speak to your parents' lawyer or get your own, and make sure this Bella-woman isn't taking you for a ride. I know you; sometimes you're too soft for your own good."

Carlisle smirked and leaned in to kiss Irina's cheek, reaching around her to unlatch the door and pull it open. "I'll be careful, Irina. I promise. Take care of yourself, okay?"

"And you. Bye, Carlisle."

After watching Irina's sporty red convertible leave the under-building garage and speed down the street from the living room window, Carlisle huffed and cleared up the remnants of their romantic dinner. The leftover lamb would do fine for his lunch at the hospital tomorrow, so he set a handful of new potatoes to boil and prepared a salad, his mind and eyes routinely drifting to the new sonogram image on the fridge beneath Vera and Henry's.

It was odd to think that the baby was half him, half Bella.

 _Would it have his hair? Bella's eyes?_

Carlisle's smile was wistful as he pictured a child with Bella's beguiling brown eyes topped with a mop of his blond hair.

If the baby was a girl, he hoped she was like Bella.

And if the baby was a boy, they had to pray he didn't inherit his uncle Emmett's genes for being loud and occasionally obnoxious.

Not for the first time this past week, Carlisle's thoughts drifted to his family. He just couldn't pin down an idea of how they'd react to his news.

The one person's reaction he could predict was his mother's. There was no doubt Elizabeth would be overjoyed. After all, she'd been on his case to add to her brood of grandchildren for months now – years, even.

Carlisle's father, Anthony, was a little harder to predict. He was a family man made of old-fashioned principles. The fact that his son had knocked up a woman out of wedlock would likely rankle. Carlisle decided to butter him up over the next few weeks before announcing the baby's existence after the twelve-week scan.

An unconscious smile tugged at Carlisle's lips as he pictured Emmett's reaction. He'd be shocked, of that there was no doubt. And he'd almost definitely be excited for him; he'd gotten baby-obsessed after the arrival of the twins. In fact, Carlisle was surprised they hadn't already announced baby number three. Emmett had made no secret of the fact that he wanted one more child, at least.

And Rosalie...though she initially came off as cold and unmaternal, Carlisle knew her to be a soft touch at heart. She'd be supportive of Bella and their baby; of that, he was confident.

The twins would be ecstatic, he suspected. They'd have a playmate – a cousin. Rosalie had no siblings, so they were the only children in the family. Or they would be until this baby arrived. Carlisle hoped they wouldn't mind sharing their family's affection.

Pulling the plug to let the dirty dishwater drain, he stared down at the water as it swirled down the hole. He could pretty much predict most his family's reactions; now, if only he could come to some conclusion as to how _he_ felt about it all.


	6. Chapter Six

**So, most of you were pleased with Bella's level-headedness  
with regard to Carlisle upping and leaving!**

 **All right, I won't keep you long up here. I just  
want to say a huge thank you to **SunflowerFran **and  
her red pen for working their magic on the word jumble I  
send her.**

 **Happy Thursday, everyone!**

 **~ oOo ~**

 **Neapolitan**

He was the beautiful blond-haired stranger from the bar, and she was the pretty brunette barmaid who couldn't resist him. Together, they burned. Apart, they were cold. As cold as the ice cream trickling over the fingers of a little boy with strawberry hair. There are a million different flavors of ice cream out there worth trying, or maybe just one; Neapolitan.

 **~ oOo ~**

 **Chapter Six**

 _ **November 3**_ _ **rd**_ _ **, 2011 – Bella – 9 ½ weeks**_

"So, what're you _not going to do_ today, Al?"

Alec blessed Bella with an eye-roll and a huff as he hoisted his backpack up onto his shoulder and sidled backward toward the school building. "I'm not gonna sass Miss Anderson."

"Or…?"

 _Huff._ "Or Mr. Rufus."

Bella grinned, stepping closer to ruffle his mop of dark hair before planting a loud kiss on his forehead, just to embarrass him in front of the cluster of friends waiting near the doors. "All right, you can go then. Love you, little brother."

Even though he snorted and his ears flushed pink at his sister's very public display of affection, Alec flashed her a quick grin before turning to sprint into school with his buddies. Bella leaned back against the hood of the car with a soft smile, watching him go.

 _This will be me one day,_ she thought, rubbing her still-flat stomach. At nine and a half weeks, she was just on the cusp of when the baby books said she'd start showing; Bella couldn't wait.

The past couple of weeks had been good to her – apart from the ever-present all-day sickness she'd been plagued with. She'd downloaded a few, five-star pregnancy books to her _Kindle_ and spent every spare second preparing for the months ahead, reading up on the delights of a heightened sense of smell, aching ankles, and continuing nausea.

The idea of waving her own child off to school in a handful of years was both foreign and oddly nerve-wracking, so Bella didn't dwell on it and climbed back into her mom's car. She had a rare day off, with both Jake and Rachel covering the bar, so she decided to head to the mall and satisfy her craving for a _McDonald's_ milkshake. Her headphones had broken yesterday, followed by the cable for her cell charger, so a trip to the _Apple_ store was also in order.

 **~ oOo ~**

By the time Bella stumbled into her brother's bedroom and dumped her haul on the floor, she was exhausted.

She'd gotten sidetracked after the _Apple_ store and wound up in a baby boutique. A few of her friends and family members had been pregnant in recent years, and all had said it was important to wait until after the twelve-week scan before buying anything.

The unspoken but obvious 'just in case' wasn't something Bella wanted to dwell on.

However, Bella wasn't buying into it.

The end of season sale drew her in and spat her back out two hours later. She'd tripped up the stairs of her family home laden with more shopping bags than she knew what to do with.

The sound of her dad's cruiser pulling into the drive made Bella jump.

 _Shit. Where am I gonna hide all this?_

" _Bells? You upstairs?"_ Charlie yelled.

"Uh, yeah, Dad! I'll be right down!"

Her heart began to race when she heard his boots on the stairs. Bella quickly threw the two bags in her hands into the closet, slamming the door shut before spinning and shoving as many bags as possible under the bed. She'd just managed to kick the last one out of sight when Charlie double-tapped the partially open door and peeked in with a moustache-topped smile.

"Hey. You okay?"

"Yeah! I'm fine, Dad. Are you okay?" Bella chimed, knowing her voice sounded too high and too odd for him to not notice.

"I'm good, I'm good," he mumbled, his all-knowing cop eyes narrowing slightly. Sometimes, it really wasn't helpful having such an observant father. "Uh, you want some lunch before I hit the hay? I figured you'd be home, so I picked up _Wendy's_."

" _Wendy's_? Dad…" Bella's lips curled up into a grin at his guilty expression.

"I know, I know. Don't tell your mother. We're on a diet."

Shaking her head and remembering her mom saying the exact same when they had _McDonald's_ a few weeks ago, Bella shot her dad a teasing glare. "Let me have the pickles from your burger, and I won't tattle."

Charlie's moustache twitched; like Bella, pickles were his favorite. "Deal. You're mean, Bells."

"I know. I'll be down in a sec."

"All right."

Bella breathed a big sigh of relief when he left, clomping back down the stairs. "Fuck…" She sank onto the bed. When she'd gone overboard at the mall, Bella hadn't considered the fact that she'd need to hide her haul when she got home. Even now, with Charlie safely downstairs, Bella knew she needed to find better hiding places for the baby things. Although Alec had kindly moved into the den and let Bella have his room – he had ulterior motives; the _PlayStation_ lived down there – his stuff was still all in his bedroom, so Bella's hidden bags wouldn't stay hidden for long.

" _Bells? Food's gettin' cold!_ "

"Coming, Dad!"

With a huff, Bella accepted the reality that she needed to just get it over with and tell her parents about the baby sooner rather than later. Deciding to give it until the weekend, she tugged on her slipper boots and made her way downstairs.

Her dad greeted her with a grin, gesturing at the food spread across the table like a gameshow host. "Ta-dah!"

Bella giggled, shooting him an affectionate smile. His moustache danced as he smirked and pointed to two pickles on a napkin in front of her seat.

"I've paid up."

"Mmm, yummy pickles."

Charlie's grin soured slightly as she hammed it up just to rub it in.

"Aw, Bells…give your old dad a break."

"Never," Bella promised him with a wink, hoping the fun camaraderie and close bond they'd always shared would withstand this weekend's announcement.

 **~ oOo ~**

 _ **November 5**_ _ **th**_ _ **, 2011 – Two days later – 10 weeks**_

 _Nothing like starting your day praying to the porcelain gods_ , Bella thought wryly as she stared at her face in the mirror and swilled mouthwash to rid herself of the taste of vomit.

Whoever said pregnancy was a beautiful thing was clearly lying.

" _Bella-a! I need to go-o!_ "

Bella quickly spat the mouthwash into the sink, running some water to wash it away before opening the door. Alec rushed past her and hip-checked her out of the way, slamming the door with a muttered, "Thanks, Bella."

She laughed, rolling her eyes at her brother's dramatics as she headed downstairs. Her mom and dad were in the kitchen, joined by Edward and his new girlfriend, Esme. She was a sweet girl, if a little quiet.

"Hey, sis. You know…we're leaving soon. You gonna get dressed, or what?"

Bella scowled at her brother. "I _am_ dressed." Then she looked down at her outfit, a pang of concern shooting through her. The simple charcoal leggings and burgundy drop-shoulder hoodie she'd pulled on were comfy and hid the ever-so-slight curve of her stomach. It was barely there and looked more like she'd had a big meal, but Bella was still paranoid someone would notice it. Her normal, sunny-day uniform of shorts or skinny jeans paired with a tank top was a total no-go; both choices would only exaggerate the slight protrusion.

" _Edward!_ " Esme hissed. "Be nice!"

"Sorry," Edward mumbled, looking abashed as he shot an apologetic glance at his girlfriend. Bella stuck her tongue out at him as Renee fussed over her, ushering her to a seat at the table. She'd gone overboard making stacks of buttermilk pancakes, a tray of bacon and eggs, and her famous lemon and poppy seed muffins.

" _Mom, I can't find my red sneakers!"_

Renee huffed. "Alec, quit yelling in the house!" She...well, yelled. At Bella and Edward's pointed grins, she shrugged and helped herself to a pancake. "What? I make the rules; I don't have to follow them."

" _But, Mom—"_

"Get your butt down here before your brother eats all the muffins!"

Esme's eyes were wide and darting around – at Renee mumbling to herself about indoor voices and boys who never use them, Edward heaping food onto his plate, Charlie grumbling from the hall that he couldn't find his jacket, and then Alec's elephant-like approach as he stampeded down the stairs.

"Don't worry," Bella told her quietly, offering a gentle smile, "you'll get used to the mayhem."

"Mayhem? Are you saying my house is 'mayhem,' Bella?" Renee snarked, winking at Esme's flushed cheeks.

"'Course not, Mom. It's perfect," Bella promised with a smile as sweet as the syrup she was pouring over her breakfast.

Renee smiled. "It sure is. All my babies under one roof."

 _And soon to be one more..._ Bella thought to herself with a gulp.

Today, the entire family was heading out to shop for their trip to _Disneyworld_ at Christmas. With the holiday season drawing near and only a few weeks to go until they left, they wanted to beat the rush. Their clothes were pretty much sorted, so gifts were on the agenda for the day.

This was how Bella had decided to tell her family about the baby.

She'd already scouted around and managed to find a t-shirt printing shop that could do what she needed; the email to say the t-shirts she'd ordered were ready had come through yesterday morning.

"Mom," Alec whined, stomping into the kitchen and pulling Bella's attention away from her worried thoughts. "I can't find my red sneakers _anywhere_."

Renee sighed. "I don't know where they are. Have you already looked everywhere? Sit down and have some breakfast; you can wear a different pair of shoes today, and we'll look properly for the red ones later."

Alec huffed and took a seat at the table, Bella grinning when Edward reached out to ruffle their brother's hair with a fond smile. She wondered if he'd be as affectionate toward his niece or nephew as he was toward Alec.

His arrival, much like the existence of the baby in Bella's womb now, was a total surprise to everyone, but Bella and Edward had doted upon him ever since his two-weeks-late delivery. He and Bella had always had an incredibly close bond; one made even closer after Renee's unexpected cancer diagnosis shortly after Alec's second birthday.

Edward had been across the country at college, leaving Bella to take over caring for her toddler brother while Charlie nursed his wife through radiotherapy, chemotherapy, then a double mastectomy and reconstruction. At one point, a new day-care assistant had mistaken Bella for Alec's mom.

That had been one awkward conversation.

 **~ oOo ~**

"Oh, wow. They're perfect."

Andy flashed a toothless grin, proud of his work. "You like 'em?"

"I really, _really_ do."

They were perfect.

Bella had ordered four t-shirts; one each for her mom and dad, and one each for her brothers.

Andy was holding her father's in the air. It was simple, really. Just a white cotton t-shirt emblazoned with a _Mickey Mouse_ and the word 'Grandpa.' The others were the same – except Renee's had a _Minnie Mouse_ and the word below was obviously different for each of them, so hers said 'Gamma,' and Edward and Alec's read 'Uncle.'

"Andy, they're amazing. Thank you so much."

"It was no trouble at all. Are they still in the dark?"

Bella sighed. "Yeah, for now. I'm giving them these later though, at dinner."

Andy chuckled as he folded Charlie's t-shirt and added it to the bag containing the others. "Where are they now?"

"They're all off doing their own thing. I've got to meet them in ten minutes at the food court." Bella quickly checked her watch. "I lied…five minutes."

"Well, good luck. Oh, I forgot! Here, a gift from me."

With a frown, Bella unfolded the black fabric Andy held out. It was a t-shirt, and it made Bella gasp with a surprised giggle when she took in the Mickey hands in a heart-shape over her stomach and read the white writing around them. "Future Mouseketeer on board?"

"Yup. In case you wanted to match."

Bella felt her lips curling up as she shook her head. "I didn't even think of getting one for me."

"Well, there you go. Now you have one. You best get goin', or you'll be late meeting up with your family."

After wasting her last few minutes arguing with Andy over his refusal to let her pay for the extra t-shirt, Bella had to jog through the mall to meet her family. They'd managed to get a table, so she fell into a chair between her mother and father with a huff, grateful not to have to stand around like a vulture waiting for a lion to leave its kill. Getting a table here was often a nightmare because of the level of foot traffic, so the relief was palpable when Bella felt the weight leave her aching feet.

"Successful morning?" Charlie asked cheerfully.

"Very. Yours go okay?"

"Eh. Ask your mother. I wasn't allowed to carry the list or pick anything."

Renee snorted. "Charlie, you're a wonderful cop, but you're useless at buying gifts. We all have our talents."

While Edward and Alec cracked up at their dad's fake wounded expression, Renee turned to Esme and Bella.

"Would you like to come grab the food with me and leave these yahoos to their giggle fit?"

Esme laughed, squeezing Edward's shoulder as she stood to follow Renee. "Sure, Renee."

 _Really?_ Bella bit back her huff, shooting her mom a pleading look. "Can't I just stay here?"

Renee's eyes flashed with mischief. "Come on, sweetheart. We don't have enough hands to carry everyone's food."

Knowing her mother would likely not quit pestering until she gave in, Bella heaved herself to her feet and trailed after Renee and Esme, grumbling under her breath.

As they stood in line to order, she idly wondered if wanting to sit because she ached all over was a good enough reason to scrap her cool baby announcement and just announce it now.

"So, sweetie, how's the volunteering going?"

"Oh, it's great! The kids are so sweet, though; it breaks my heart to see them all poorly."

Bella tuned in to Esme and Renee's conversation, her curiosity peaked. "Where are you volunteering?"

"At the children's hospital. There was an opening for a play therapist, and as that's what I'm training to be, they let me join as an intern," Esme smiled. "It's really rewarding, but it's so sad seeing the sick children."

Esme was distracted by the cashier calling for her to give her order, but Bella desperately wanted to question her more. If Esme worked at the children's hospital, that meant she must know Carlisle. After all, he worked there too, and on the pediatric ward, to boot.

By the time they'd all placed their orders and were carrying their food back to the table, Bella had worked herself up trying to think of a way to casually ask if she knew Carlisle without giving away the fact that _she_ knew him.

"So, Esme," she began in a too-bright tone, cursing herself internally. "Do you, ummm, have you made many friends? At the hospital, I mean?"

Esme gave her a wary, confused look, but indulged her. "Sure! There are lots of lovely doctors and nurses there. Usually, I just hang out with the residents, though."

Bella's heart raced. _Residents…_ Carlisle was a resident. "Oh, really? So, like, trainee doctors?"

"Mmhm. Angela is lovely – she's a resident. And her best friend, Carlisle. He's nice, too."

The flicker of jealousy that tore through Bella's veins at the mention of Angela – apparently Carlisle's 'best friend' and also the friend he'd mentioned telling about the baby – was as unexpected as it was off-putting. She couldn't think of anything else to say, so she just hummed and dropped the subject as they made it back to the table where Charlie, Alec, and Edward were patiently waiting.

All the time they were eating, Bella's mind repeatedly returned to Carlisle. Their last conversation had been a good one. They'd chatted for over an hour – about the baby, their jobs, their lives and families and everything in between. It was comforting and made her feel a million times better about how their odd relationship was going to work.

Sure, it wasn't the typical, having-a-baby arrangement, but if they could get along and be friends, that would be enough for Bella. She refrained from reaching down to touch her barely-there bump, but the slightly queasy feeling that never quite abated reminded her of why she'd settle for a friendship with Carlisle. For the sake of the baby growing safely within her body, Bella would try to come to terms with the dissolution of her someday-in-the-future dream of having a husband, _then_ having babies. This wasn't what she'd planned for her future, but the memory of seeing her little baby bobbing around on the screen at the doctor's office solidified her resolve to do whatever was necessary to give this baby the life he or she deserved.

That said, it was a little unnerving for her to think about the fact that while she was going to be growing and raising this baby mostly alone, Carlisle would be with his girlfriend. For all Bella knew, that was Angela, the resident both Esme and Carlisle had mentioned. Her jealousy didn't sit well with her, so Bella forced herself to pay attention to the discussion around the table as a distraction.

Worrying about her situation and all the drama that came along with it could wait. Bella already had enough to fret over with her upcoming baby announcement.

 **~ oOo ~**

Hours later, Bella twisted this way and that in front of the mirror with a scowl on her face. "Well, shit."

The purple dress she'd chosen was loose and flared around her thighs but was the complete opposite around her middle. Despite having a tiny bump, it was very much visible thanks to the fitted waistline of the dress. She cast a quick look up at the clock, knowing there wasn't time to get changed again before her mom was yelling up the stairs—

" _Bella? Are you ready? We need to get a move on, honey!_ "

 _There we go_. Sighing, Bella scooped her t-shirt and leggings from the bed, shoving them in her purse with the shirts for her parents and brothers on the way down the stairs. She held it over her stomach until she made it to the hall closet and tugged on a cardigan, wrapping it tightly around her.

Renee appeared in the doorway then, waving her out to the car where Charlie, Edward, Esme, and Alec were waiting. "Come on, honey. Our reservations are for seven."

"I'm coming, I'm coming," Bella muttered, rushing to jump in the back with Edward and Esme – Alec had volunteered to ride in the extra seat way in the back.

The ride to the restaurant was short and filled with chatter.

Charlie regaled them with a story about a recent case he'd managed to crack.

Edward and Alec couldn't stop talking about the Seahawk's latest victory.

And Renee and Esme were engrossed in a conversation about Esme's volunteering at the hospital. It was their conversation Bella was most interested in, but by the time they pulled up outside Fire and Flames, their favored restaurant, Esme hadn't mentioned Carlisle or Angela, much to Bella's disappointment.

She'd texted Carlisle earlier in the morning to let him know she was planning to tell her family about the baby today, but he hadn't answered; she wasn't sure how to feel about his silence.

"All right, everyone! Pile out!" Charlie crowed, leading Renee inside with a hand at the small of her back. Alec jogged ahead to catch up with them, and Charlie reached out to tug him into his side. The trio made a beautiful picture – mom, dad, son.

Bella's hand brushed her stomach as she let herself briefly mourn the fact that she, Carlisle, and their baby wouldn't have the same intimate relationship and ease around one another that her own parents shared with her, Alec, and Edward.

It only took a few moments for them to get a table thanks to Renee's foresight in booking ahead. Charlie's job as police chief allowed them to have friends all over the place; the owner and head chef at Fire and Flames was an old high school friend and made sure to give them the best table every time they visited.

They were soon seated and ordering their drinks. Until this moment, Bella hadn't realized how hard it would be to get through to dessert to make her announcement.

"Wait…" Edward frowned, staring at Bella across the table. "No wine? _My_ sister, _not_ drinking when Dad's getting the bill?"

 _Shit._ Bella's cheeks flamed under the scrutiny of her family. Even Alec was shooting her an odd look as she rattled off her order for a lemon and lime with ice, instead of her go-to glass of rosé. "I might have a glass of wine with dinner. I just fancy a lemon and lime."

Nobody looked convinced, but they let it go, and Bella released a sigh of relief once the waiter diverted their attention toward the specials' board.

 _I'm going to make it. I'm going to make it,_ she mentally chanted, studying the menu and willing her cheeks to return to their normal pallor. All she had to do was get through the main meal and make it to the dessert. Between courses, Bella was going to run to the toilet and change into the t-shirt and leggings and return to the table just in time for the waiter to bring out the cupcakes with little icing babies on the top – one each for her mom, dad, Edward, Alec, and Esme.

Sucking in a deep breath and studiously ignoring the looks her family was sending her as the waiter returned with her lemon and lime, Bella reminded herself that in just over an hour, her secret would be out, and she'd be able to relax.

 _Maybe. If they took it well, anyway._

 **~ oOo ~**

Thankfully, by the time the main courses arrived, everybody seemed to have gotten over Bella's refusal to drink, and they were excitedly talking about their upcoming trip to Disneyworld. With the entire clan due to fly out on the eighteenth, there was only a little over a month left to go; they were all looking forward to getting some winter sun and spending their Christmas at the theme parks.

Bella was slightly less excited, because it had finally occurred to her a few days ago that she wouldn't be able to go on the rides with her family. The bean causing her all-day nausea and making her jeans too tight was throwing all kinds of spanners in the works, it seemed. She was just glad that she'd be telling her family before their vacation; if they jumped on her for not drinking, they'd definitely be all over her refusing to go on rides at her favorite parks. She'd wound up searching for the ones she'd be allowed on, and was surprised to find that there were a few pregnancy-approved ones, but a lot of her favorite like Splash Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad were strictly forbidden while pregnant.

"Excuse me, I'm just going to run to the restroom," Esme murmured, excusing herself from the conversation with Renee and Bella.

Renee watched her go with a fond smile before turning back to her daughter and whispering, "What do you think?" She cast a quick look at Edward – who was too busy debating the pros and cons of some football player with his dad and brother – before sharing an impish smile with Bella. "What do you think of Esme?"

"She's great," Bella admitted conspiratorially. "She's sweet and funny, and she makes Ed happy, so…" she shrugged, "what's not to like?"

Renee nodded. "Indeed. It's nice to see him settling down." There was a little twinkle to her eyes when she added, "The family is growing in leaps and bounds!"

Frowning and swallowing the sudden lump in her throat, Bella asked, "What do you mean?"

Renee didn't get a chance to answer before Esme rejoined the table with a big smile on her face and a tall silhouette behind her.

"Oh, hey, man," Edward exclaimed with a crooked grin, standing to shake the silhouette's hand. Esme and the backlighting made it impossible for her to get a good look at his face, but her brother obviously knew him judging by the familiar greeting. "You finally got an evening off, huh?"

Without letting him answer, Edward turned back to his curious family and gestured for Esme to take over the introductions.

"Charlie, Renee, Alec, Bella…this is my friend from the hospital. He's one of the residents I told you about."

The lump in Bella's throat dropped to the pit of her stomach, a wave of light-headedness sweeping through her. _Oh, crap._ A horrible feeling of queasiness slammed into her like a wrecking ball, because without Esme saying his name, Bella knew exactly who the backlit silhouette was.

"Everybody, this is Carlisle Cullen. Carlisle, these are Edward's parents, Charlie and Renee Swan, his little brother Alec, and his sister, Bella."

Bella bit the inside of her cheek as Esme stepped to the side and her eyes met the apologetic, gray-blue gaze of the man she knew intimately, and whose baby she was due to announce in just a short while.

"Uh, we've already met."

* * *

 **Okay, so...I'm absolutely beyond thrilled and surprised and ALL THE FEELS to tell you that Pinky Promises is in the running for Top Ten Completed Fics of 2017. As you already know, it won for it's month back in September 2017, and I'm just stoked it's in the running for the year vote. If you want to vote for it - and I would be tremendously grateful - hit up the site and vote. PP isn't the only story there, of course, and you could do as I do and vote for a different one each day - you have one vote each 24 hours, so don't let them go to waste!**

 **Also...and this blows my mind...my Christmas Emmett x Bella story has been nominated over at TwiFanfictionRecs as one of the Top Completed Stories In January! Mind...BLOWN. Honestly, I never realised how many people would fall in love with the little family. If you read it and want to head over there and vote, please feel free to do so. Again, there are a bunch of amazing stories in that poll, so use your votes wisely and don't forget to use them each day.**

 **All right, that's all from me. Hugs to all of you. I'll see you next Sunday!**


	7. Chapter Seven

**Sorry this is a day late! I got wrapped up with an outtake  
for _Pinky Promises_ \- if you've been following PP  
and _Promises to Keep_ , check out the outtake  
on my profile - 'Valentinos.'**

 **Big thank you to** SunflowerFran **and her red pen.**

 **Anyways...a lot of you found it slightly hysterical that  
** **Carlisle showed up at the restaurant where Bella was  
** **planning to announce the pregnancy. What rotten luck,  
eh? ;) Anyway...**

 **I'll let you read on and see how she gets out of this mess!**

 ***** IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT AT THE BOTTOM*****

 **~ oOo ~**

 **Neapolitan**

He was the beautiful blond-haired stranger from the bar, and she was the pretty brunette barmaid who couldn't resist him. Together, they burned. Apart, they were cold. As cold as the ice cream trickling over the fingers of a little boy with strawberry hair. There are a million different flavors of ice cream out there worth trying, or maybe just one; Neapolitan.

 **~ oOo ~**

 **Chapter Seven**

For the longest moment, it felt as if all the air had been sucked from the room.

Bella finally sighed, bowing her head, ignoring the curious look Edward was shooting her way.

"At the bar, right?" Edward put the pieces together, recognition lighting his expression. "You drink at JBs, don't you? I think I remember seeing you there a couple of times. I was trying to figure out where I knew you from the other day, when you came over for dinner."

Glancing up, Bella watched Carlisle rub the back of his neck in obvious discomfort. "Ah, yeah. It's right by the hospital, and it's not too far from my apartment."

"So, you work at the hospital with Esme?" Renee asked cheerfully.

"That's right." He shot Esme a half-smile before admitting, "she brought in some of your breakfast muffins last week, Mrs. Swan. Had the whole canteen salivating, I swear. Those blueberry muffins…man."

Carlisle had unknowingly hit on the exact formula for worming his way into her good graces – talking about food.

"Oh, you're too sweet! Carlisle, why don't you join us? Were you just leaving?"

It was apparent from the coat draped over his arm that he was on his way out. However, to Bella's dismay he hesitantly accepted Renee's invitation to join them for after-dinner drinks and dessert, admitting that he hadn't eaten, he'd simply been at Fire and Flames for drinks with friends.

Their server rushed to add another chair to the table, putting Carlisle between Esme and Bella.

"So, Carlisle, I hope we aren't keeping you from rushing home to a girlfriend?"

As Carlisle tripped over his response to Renee's question, Bella fumbled with the napkin draped over her lap. "I'll…um, I'm just going to run to the restroom."

She darted away before anyone could say anything and splashed cool water over her face in the ladies restroom. Staring at her flushed cheeks and wide eyes in the mirror, Bella wondered how on earth she was going to get through her plan now – with freaking _Carlisle_ of all people at the table with her family.

What were the chances? Why did he have to show up tonight of all nights, just minutes before Bella planned to escape to the bathroom and announce that she was pregnant?

 _I can't do it,_ she finally decided, shaking her head. Not tonight. It was too weird, and there was no way she wanted to dump, not only the news that she was pregnant, but that Carlisle was the father, on her family in one go. His appearance would look staged, and Bella wasn't sure she could cope with the whole fiasco while Carlisle was right beside her.

After a short pep talk in the mirror, Bella straightened her dress, wiped a smudge of mascara from beside her eye, and headed back out into the restaurant.

"Bella?"

" _Holyshit!_ "

Carlisle grimaced, steadying Bella with his hands on her waist. They were warm and large, easily holding her in place. Bella tensed when she felt his thumbs carefully brush her stomach, knowing he could probably feel the ever-so-slight hardness of her barely-there bump.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you, I just… _damn_ , Bella. I didn't realize you were here, I swear, and then Esme caught me at the bar, and I couldn't get away without it looking like I was trying to run away, you know?"

"It's okay, it's fine." Bella blew out a long breath and took a small step back to create some distance between Carlisle and herself; he smelled far too good and looked way too jumpable up-close. The cream Henley was back, as were the boat shoes – although these were navy – and he'd paired the look with dark wash jeans and the leather jacket he'd had over his arm, but was now, presumably, back at the table.

Then…Bella frowned, asking, "how did you know I was here with Esme?"

"She introduced me to Edward at the hospital a few days ago, and I couldn't put my finger on where I recognized him from until later that day. I was going to tell you when we saw each other or spoke next, and then she found me at the bar." Carlisle shook his head, obviously amused. "It's a small world, huh?"

"You don't say," Bella mumbled.

He reached up and tugged at his hair, smiling sheepishly. "I'm going to assume you haven't told them yet?"

"How… _oh_. I texted you, didn't I? I wasn't sure you got it when you didn't reply."

 _So, uh, passive-aggressive route it is._

"Truthfully? I didn't know what to say. I mean, I was planning to tell my family after the scan in two weeks, and I didn't know if you telling your folks now meant you'd want me to tell them earlier. I was thinking about texting when I got home, to see how this all went, but I guess I don't need to now." He cast a look over his shoulder, but they couldn't see the others from their spot tucked around a corner. "Are you still going to tell them?"

"No!" Bella sputtered, laughing. "No way! Can you imagine how awkward that would be? 'Mom, Dad, I'm pregnant. Oh, and by the way, Carlisle here just happens to be the father.'"

Carlisle chuckled and nodded, "okay, okay. I get your point. Too weird. Although, I'm getting the distinct impression your mom is trying to set us up, so I'm not sure she'd be all that mad."

Bella winced; she'd worried about that exact scenario as soon as Renee had opened her mouth and asked about a girlfriend. But surely, Carlisle had put her straight, so it shouldn't be an issue. Her mom would drop it now that she knew he wasn't single, and Bella could deal with the fallout when she inevitably had to admit that Carlisle was her baby's father further down the line. For now, she had to head back to the table before her family thought she'd fallen down the toilet.

"All right, I'm going back. Where do they think you are?"

"The bathroom. I'll be back in a few. I didn't really need to go, I just wanted to apologize, but I'll wait a minute or two before I come back."

Nodding in agreement, Bella tucked her cardigan around her mid-section and headed back toward her family.

She was still a few meters away when she heard a yelp and a cry, quickly followed by the scraping of chair legs. Her eyes jumped up toward the sound, finding Esme hastily mopping Bella's lemon and lime from the table with the now-empty glass in her hand while Renee scooped Bella's bag from the floor and quickly pulled out the contents to pat them dry.

Bella's eyes widened as Renee frowned in confusion and pulled a t-shirt from the top of the bag, obviously wondering why her daughter had brought a change of clothes.

"Mom, no—!" Bella called, breaking into a trot.

But it was too late. Renee had the damp gray t-shirt in her hands and was holding it up to assess the damage caused by the spilled drink.

" _Future Mouseketeer…_ " She caught sight of Bella then, and turned the top to face her daughter, cocking her head to one side and frowning at Bella's panicked expression as she came to a stop beside the table. Every member of her family was looking between the t-shirt and Bella; Edward was the first to put two and two together.

" _Future Mouseketeer on board_ …is there something you need to tell us, Bells?" The impish smirk on his face told her she didn't really need to tell them anything; he, at least, had worked it out for himself.

It was only going to be a few seconds before…

"You're _pregnant_?"

 _Whoop, there it is._

Bella sighed and turned her gaze to her red-faced dad. Charlie looked…actually, not as mad as she'd expected. He looked more perplexed than angry.

"Yeah, Dad. I'm pregnant – ten weeks today, actually."

Her eyes jumped over to Renee, whose eyes were as wide as they were wet, then to Alec who just looked mildly interested, before skipping back to Edward.

His crooked grin shook as he tried to suppress a chuckle, squeezing a beaming Esme's hand on top of the table. "Congrats, sis. I kinda suspected, to be honest, with the whole 'not drinking' phenomenon."

A little amused, a lot affronted, and still nervous of her parents' reactions, Bella mustered a smile. "Hey, enough with the alcoholic insinuations. I can go out and eat without having to drink."

"Yeah, but when do you?" Edward's teasing was very much appreciated as Bella waited for one of her parents to just _say something_ already.

Sticking out her tongue, Bella took her seat and peered between her mom and dad's faces anxiously. "Mom? Dad?"

Renee swallowed and wiped tears from her cheeks with a napkin as a smile took over her face. "My baby is having a baby! And what a wonderful way to tell us, too! Were you going to put the t-shirt on here to show us?"

A sliver of relief wormed its way through Bella's veins. _Mom's on board._ "Yeah, I was going to change before dessert."

You know that moment in movies, where you can see the train wreck coming just a second before the main character does?

Bella had one of those moments right then. As she smiled at her mom cooing over the 'future Mouseketeer' t-shirt, she spotted Carlisle winding his way back to the table between the other diners, and heard Edward talking to Esme.

"Did you know she was going to do this? It's a bit coincidental, isn't it, that Carlisle just happens to be here the night Bells finally admits she's having his baby."

 _Shit._

Carlisle made it to the table in time to hear Edward, and then promptly froze on the spot a few feet away while Bella's mouth repeatedly opened and closed like a goldfish, Esme slapped Edward on the arm as his ears flushed crimson and he realized he'd dropped his sister in it.

Alec was barely interested enough to pull his eyes away from the _Nintendo DS_ he was hiding under the table, Renee's gaze had narrowed and was bouncing between her panic-stricken daughter and a frozen Carlisle.

It felt like a millennium passed before anyone spoke.

Charlie broke the tense standoff. "I think we all ought to head home and discuss this there, yes?"

Everyone mumbled their agreement, except Carlisle, who didn't appear to know where to look or what to do with himself. As Charlie paid the bill, Renee rounded up Alec, Edward, and Esme, herding them toward the doors. She shot Bella a look as if to say ' _talk to him_ ' on her way past; Bella smiled in thanks and hurried over to Carlisle.

"Uh, what the hell just happened?" he muttered as she impulsively took his hand and pulled him toward the doors.

"I don't really know, but the short story is, Mom found the t-shirt—"

"What t-shirt?"

"I'll explain later, but she found the t-shirt, and they all know I'm pregnant. Edward opened his fat mouth, and I guess he's somehow figured out that you're the father because he said 'isn't it coincidental that you're here the night I admit I'm pregnant,' which was right around when you rejoined us."

"Fucking hell…" Carlisle raked a hand through his hair, his blond locks now tussled and sticking up in a billion different directions. "Now what?"

Bella winced, stopping halfway to the car on the edge of the parking lot. They were just out of sight, so Charlie passed them on his way out of Fire and Flames. They heard him ask Renee where they'd gone, and Bella smiled wryly at her snippy, "they needed a moment."

"More than a moment, I'd say," Carlisle whispered, grinning down at her.

In the dark, lit only by the moon and the light escaping the glass-fronted restaurant, Carlisle's hair shone a beautiful muted gold, his eyes sparkling like the stars and crinkled at the edges by his smile. He was beautiful.

"So, I'm gonna make a run for it…" Carlisle trailed off and guffawed quietly when Bella thumped him gently on the arm, pointing out that her dad was the chief of police; if Carlisle made a run for it, Charlie wouldn't struggle all that much hunting him down.

Carlisle's face paled. "Are you joking? You're joking, right? _Fuck's sake, Carlisle. Of all the people to knock up…_ "

More amused by Carlisle's mutterings than anything else, Bella giggled to herself and remembered that first night, when he'd endeared himself to her within their first few moments of meeting by mumbling to himself after knocking her flat on her ass.

" _Holy shit on a cracker_ _!" She gasped, spinning around._

 _So, something about Bella you should know; she was clumsy. Almost morbidly so._

 _With that in mind, it was no surprise to Bella when her food caught a wet patch, and her flailing legs sent her crashing to the floor, taking the mop bucket with her._

" _Ow_ _," Bella groaned, grimacing at the feel of dirty, cocktail-floor water seeping into her t-shirt and jeans. Everything hurt, and she already knew the phone number in her back pocket would now be illegible. Not that she was that sad about it; the guy it belonged to, a regular patron at JBs, was a bit too gothic for her taste._

" _I am_ _so_ _sorry! I was trying not to make you jump._ _Obviously failed there, Cullen. Well done._ _"_

 _Despite her predicament, Bella couldn't help but snort in amusement at the guy mumbling to himself. She peered up at him, now crouching over her prone form, and tried – failing miserably – to hide the crimson flush spreading over her entire face._

"You do that quite a lot, you know? Talk to yourself. Are you sure there's not something you want to tell me? The first sign of madness is talking to yourself, and this little bean has half your DNA…"

Bella didn't realize what she was doing until it was too late. She was still holding Carlisle's hand after tugging him from the restaurant so when she moved to touch her barely-there bump, the back of his hand made it there first. If he hadn't felt it earlier, outside the restrooms, he certainly had now. The thin material of her dress did nothing to hide it, and with their news now out in the open, she hadn't felt the need to pull it back around herself on the way outside.

Peering up at Carlisle, Bella found herself with a lump in her throat. The look on his face…it was wonder, surprise, and excitement, pure and simple.

"Bella? If you're out here, hurry up!"

Alec's yell broke the spell they were both under, and the pair of them shared a small smile at the sound of Renee reprimanding him as they released each other's hands and hurried toward the car.

"Alec! Don't be so rude!"

"What? They're taking ages, and my _DS_ just died. I need to plug it in."

"We're here, don't panic, baby brother."

Alec stuck out his tongue and clambered quickly into the back of the car as Bella and Carlisle rounded a minivan to join him and Renee. Everyone else was in the car, it seemed.

"Hey Carlisle, you can sit with me, dude!" Alec called.

Renee and Bella shared twin grins at Carlisle's relieved sigh as he climbed in beside Alec; he clearly didn't want to end up trapped in the middle seat in much closer proximity to Charlie.

 **~ oOo ~**

Silence.

Nobody had said a word since they all piled out of the car and trailed after Charlie into the family room.

Charlie and Renee were sharing the loveseat, Alec was sitting cross-legged on the floor – again playing his now-charging _Nintendo DS_ -, Edward had an armchair with Esme perched on the arm, and Carlisle and Bella had the sofa opposite her parents.

It was awkward as hell.

Charlie's mustache routinely twitched in a scowl while Renee's gaze jumped between her daughter, Carlisle, and her husband, her lips curled in an ever-so-slight half-smile.

It would have been amusing if it was a sitcom or a cheesy romance movie, but Bella wasn't finding her real-life situation funny at all.

"All right, I'm going to explode if someone doesn't talk soon," Edward finally huffed, deflating his rigid posture and shaking his head. "Bells, why don't you just explain, yeah?"

Bella gulped, shooting her brother a death-stare. _Are you kidding me, Ed?_ "Uh, thanks…for that."

Edward shot her a shit-eating grin and a wink, relaxing back in his chair as she readied herself to explain…whatever this was.

"Basically, Mom, Dad, it's like this – _yes_ , I'm having a baby, and _yes_ , Carlisle is the father." She saw Renee's lips move and instantly pre-empted her oncoming question. " _No_ , we aren't together. We're just…friends…who are going to parent together. Right?"

Bella looked to Carlisle at her side and almost laughed despite the tension saturating the room. He was sitting ramrod straight, his hands wringing in his lap and the tips of his ears redder than a fire engine.

"R-right." Carlisle sucked in a breath and forced himself to relax a little. "Right. We're friends who are having a baby together. Mr. and Mrs. Swan, I want you to know that I'm going to take care of your daughter and our baby. We might not be married or even dating, but I'm going to do everything in my power to make sure they're cared for and happy and healthy. I realize this isn't an ideal situation, but we're making the best of it."

 _How is he so eloquent even when he's shitting himself?_ Bella wondered, absolutely certain that Carlisle was even more terrified than he appeared. She was petrified, and these were her parents, for crying out loud.

Charlie's mustache twitched, his eyes fiery and dark. "You're training to be a doctor?"

Carlisle gulped, shooting Bella a quick _Whatthefuck_ look before nodding and meeting Charlie's gaze. "Yes, sir. A pediatrician."

"Have you got a job lined up?"

"Uh, yeah. I mean, yes, I do. I've got a year to go, then I start at a family practice." When he added the name of said practice, Charlie nodded.

"I went to school with Dr. Taylor."

The way Carlisle's eyes widened, and his eyebrows jumped a little on his forehead made it clear Dr. Taylor was someone important at the practice – _possibly the head doctor,_ Bella thought – but he nodded and managed a tight smile. Charlie didn't need to say the words for Carlisle to know he was trying to push the point that he'd be able to keep an eye on him through his school friend.

"Oh, great. He's a really nice guy."

"Hm."

The conversation continued in this way for fifteen torturous – for Carlisle – minutes. Bella grew increasingly amused as she realized her dad was winding him up. Renee's smirk and minute, faux-exasperated headshakes gave it away.

"All right, come on, Dad," she finally said when Carlisle rubbed his palms on his jeans before tugging at his hair. "That's enough, all right?"

Charlie smirked for the first time since arriving home. "Aw, Bells, why do you have to ruin my fun?"

Carlisle's head snapped around to Bella; finding her smiling, he huffed a long sigh and cupped his face in his hands, chuckling when Charlie, Renee, Edward, Esme, and Bella erupted into laughter at his mortification.

"Aw, son, I was just messing with you!" Charlie finally snickered, crossing the room. Carlisle stood as the older man planted a hand on his shoulder, squeezing gently with a wide grin. "You don't have to worry about me unless you do anything to make this girl cry, you hear me?"

Carlisle nodded solemnly, looking exhausted, and smiled down at Bella. "I don't intend to ever make her cry, Sir. I don't know about you, but I think making her smile feels a million times better than seeing her sad."

As Bella felt her cheeks flushing crimson under Carlisle's intense gaze, she missed her dad's harrumph and the curious look on his face as well as Renee's mile-wide smile and optimistic, gleeful eyes.

 **~ oOo ~**

 _ **November 19**_ _ **th**_ _ **, 2011 – Carlisle – 12 weeks**_

"If you don't hurry up, you're going to—"

"I know, I know," Carlisle panted, skidding into the break room. "I'm going to be late, _shit._ And it's in the same goddamn hospital! She'll kill me."

Angela reached out a hand and held him still for a moment, her smile gentle as she reminded him to breathe. "What are you looking for?"

His eyes wheeled around. "My cell. Fuck, where did I leave it?"

Frowning, Angela pointed to the counter – _aha!_ His cell sat beside the kettle, along with his wallet and the keys to Emmett's car. He and Rosalie were away for their annual wedding anniversary vacation, so he was trading off childcare duties with his parents for the week. Having the use of a car wasn't something Carlisle yearned for, but it _was_ handy when he had to cart the twins all over the place to various playdates and whatnot. Truthfully, he was going to miss it when his brother and sister-in-law returned next Friday.

Suddenly, it occurred to him that in approximately six or seven months, he'd be carting his son or daughter all over the city. He and Bella hadn't talked about custody or visitation or anything yet, but he was all-too-aware that they'd likely be trading the baby and he'd need to be able to transport him or her somehow.

Mentally adding 'look at cars' to the ever-growing list of shit he needed to do as soon as possible, Carlisle let out a little growl of frustration at himself – he just couldn't move quick enough, dammit.

"Carlisle, take a deep breath and calm the heck down. I've never seen you so rattled."

Carlisle sucked in a deep breath and shoved his things into his pockets, belatedly realizing that he hadn't even changed out of his scrubs. Elephant-patterned scrubs were going to have to do, because if he wasted another minute getting changed, Carlisle was definitely going to be late.

Today was the scan. The twelve-week scan. The one that elicited a big sigh of relief because it meant the chances of miscarriage and complication were much lower, and it was generally the time people started telling friends about their baby.

He couldn't wait. Two weeks had passed since he and Bella had been outed to her family, and it had actually been nice. He'd seen Esme several times at the hospital and gone to dinner with her and Edward just yesterday, promising that if Bella didn't send them a picture of the scan, he would.

It was odd to think that just four weeks ago, Carlisle had been jealous of Edward, thinking he was a boyfriend or romantic interest in Bella's life.

" _The usual, please, Bells!"_

 _Carlisle turned his head toward the voice yelling from the other end of the bar at the same time as Bella. She grinned, tucking the knife and board behind the counter before all-but skipping round, bypassing Carlisle entirely to leap straight into the arms of the behemoth man who'd just entered the bar. He laughed, spinning her a few times. Carlisle glared at Edward, his thoughts immediately putting two and two together to make five._

 _Unlike when she'd seen him arrive, Bella was giggling and had pretty much run to this guy._

" _Put me down, you big oaf!_ _Edward_ _, put me down!" She slapped at his shoulders, leaning toward his face with her tongue outstretched in warning._

Now, he knew better.

Angela wished him luck, and Carlisle all-but sprinted through the halls toward the antenatal wing, making it to the waiting area just as Bella's name was called.

Her smile lit up the room when she spotted him panting in the doorway before they followed the nurse back to a room.

"You made it. I didn't think you were going to." The relief in Bella's tone was obvious, and Carlisle was abruptly glad he'd rushed.

"I wouldn't miss this for the world," he admitted before being told to sit while Bella went into a little side room to have her measurements and details checked. She and the nurse reappeared a few minutes later; now, Bella looked downright excited. She was almost gleeful as she hopped onto the bed and laid back, rolling up her top and rolling down her leggings as directed.

Carlisle wanted to avert his eyes to save her modesty, but he couldn't. In the two weeks since they saw each other last, she'd popped.

The toned, flat belly he'd kissed and licked some twelve weeks ago was now a beautiful, lightly tanned curve – a curve that housed their baby. Or 'Bean' as Bella had dubbed him or her.

"All right, are you ready to see your little one?" The nurse – Abigail – asked cheerfully, squirting the jelly on the Doppler before holding it over Bella's stomach, her smile impish as she prolonged the torture of waiting. Bella was all-but vibrating on the bed as she squealed her 'yes, please!' and Carlisle couldn't help but sit forward to see better as Abigail laughed and _finally_ put them out of their misery.

It took a few moments for the blurry shapes to come into focus and for Abigail to find the right position, but Bella and Carlisle both gasped when they recognized their baby.

He or she was bobbing quite happily on the screen, little feet kicking away.

"Can you feel that?" Carlisle asked with childlike wonder.

Bella shook her head with a wistful smile. "No, not yet. The books all say I probably will start to soon."

Abigail nodded. "A few more weeks. We generally say around week sixteen at the earliest, although some moms feel it earlier, some later."

The awe and sheer _love_ Carlisle felt as he watched Abigail take measurements and point out the baby's organs and limbs was unprecedented. He hadn't expected to feel quite so much, but his eyes welled up, and his stomach tightened when Abigail paused the screen for a moment to measure the spine, creating a stunning profile shot of the baby.

Bella's fingers slipped down to twine themselves with his on his knee; Carlisle offered her a grateful smile when he realized she was crying, too.

"He's beautiful, isn't he?"

Carlisle couldn't help but laugh. "'He?' Do you know something I don't?"

"No, it's too early to tell – isn't it?" Bella continued when Abigail nodded and apologized, but said she'd try to have a look and see if they could tell. "Right. It's still too early, but I've got a hunch." She returned her gaze to the screen, and Carlisle's followed. "Whenever I picture myself holding a baby, it's always a boy. I don't know why."

Carlisle smiled to himself and squeezed their joined hands. If he was honest, he didn't care whether the baby was a boy or a girl, but if Bella had a hunch, he'd trust it.

"Well, in that case…hey there, son." A little choked up, he whispered, "we're your mom and dad, and we already love you very much."

* * *

 **So...if you've friended me on Facebook - 'Ciara Shaye Chapman' or 'Ciara Shayee - Author' you'll already have seen that two of my stories are up for awards at :**

 **\- Will You Love Me Tomorrow ~ for Top Ten Completed in January  
** **and - Pinky Promises ~ for Top Ten Completed in 2017**

 **If you're a fan of either/both, please feel free to head over and vote in the polls. You can vote once a day, so don't waste your votes! I've got a rotating system going so I can vote for all my favourites.**

 **ALSO!  
** **To my absolutely shock, I/my stories received FOUR, YES FOUR! nominations in the TwiFic Awards! GAH!**

 **Pinky Promises - Favourite Potential Bestseller and Favourite MY EMOTIONS fic  
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 **Okay, that's enough out of me. See you next week :) xo**


	8. Chapter Eight

**Hey there! Happy Neapolitan day! As I write this, I'm**  
 **actually eating a bowl of Neapolitan ice cream *teehee***

 **I want to say a big thank you to the amazing  
** SunflowerFran **for wielding her red pen and turning this  
from mulch into something worth posting LOL.**

 **I also want to say thank you to each and every one of you  
for reading and reviewing. It truly does make my day, and I  
promise to try and respond to as many of you as possible.**

 **I'm glad you liked the reveal - even though it didn't go quite  
as planned!**

 **~ oOo ~**

 **Neapolitan**

He was the beautiful blond-haired stranger from the bar, and she was the pretty brunette barmaid who couldn't resist him. Together, they burned. Apart, they were cold. As cold as the ice cream trickling over the fingers of a little boy with strawberry hair. There are a million different flavors of ice cream out there worth trying, or maybe just one; Neapolitan.

 **~ oOo ~**

 **Chapter Eight**

 _ **November 22**_ _ **nd**_ _ **, 2011 – Bella – 12 ½ weeks**_

"You're kidding…right?"

Carlisle chuckled, the sound sending shivers through Bella's body as her lips curled up. _"What? So, it's okay for me to be thrown in at the deep end, but you're chickening out? C'mon, Bella, I thought you were braver than that."_

"I'm not a chicken!" She protested, mouthing 'bye' to her mom as she tugged Alec toward the front door by his hood. "Besides, I didn't throw you in at the deep end. You came willingly. You could have done a runner when you realized it was my family instead of sticking around to watch the horror show. Plus, it didn't turn out so bad for you in the end, anyway. My family loves you."

"It's true!" Alec yelled, grinning when Bella shoved him toward the car and rounded the hood to the driver's side. Once they were in, he called, "are you still coming to watch me play football this weekend?"

Rolling her eyes, Bella handed the phone to her brother, listening to him chatter away to Carlisle while she concentrated on getting him to school on time. She'd volunteered to take him as she was heading that way anyway, but she hadn't counted on him taking forty forevers to find the sneakers he just 'had' to wear today.

They were almost at the school by the time Alec held the phone between the front two seats.

"Can you hit the button for the Bluetooth?" Bella whispered, biting back a curse at a stupid driver who apparently couldn't use indicators.

Alec mumbled, "sure," and a moment later, Carlisle's chuckle came through the car speakers.

" _So…ten, then?"_

Bella groaned. "Are you still on this? Why do I need to be there, anyway? I mean, can't you just tell them by yourself? You're a big guy."

As soon as the words were out of her mouth, Bella regretted them; they were laced with accidental innuendo.

" _Hmmm,"_ Carlisle rumbled, heat igniting in the pit of Bella's stomach. _"You'd know how big I am, Bella._ "

A quiet squeak escaped Bella's lips as her eyes darted to the rear-view; Alec was frowning.

"Uh, you're not _that_ tall, Carlisle," Alec shouted, clearly not understanding that he could talk at a normal decibel and Carlisle would hear him. "You're only a bit taller than Dad and Ed."

" _Shit—I mean, damn. Uh, I didn't…I'm on speaker?"_

"Yep," Bella giggled, turning into Alec's school parking lot. "Alec's right, though. You're not _that_ big."

Carlisle's answering growl made Bella laugh harder, because she knew he couldn't really defend himself now he knew Alec was listening.

"Anyway, I've gotta go, I'm at the school." She huffed, metaphorically pulling on her big girl panties. Carlisle was right – he _had_ stuck around to face the Spanish inquisition about the baby and his intentions. The least she could do was go with him to tell his family about Bean. "I'll see you at ten. But if your family kills me, it's all your fault. And you won't get your baby, 'cause right now we're sort of a package deal."

It was weird how hearing Carlisle's laughter, even through the shitty car speakers, made Bella feel warm from the inside out.

" _I promise they won't kill you. Trust me; they're going to love you. In fact, I'm pretty sure they're going to love you even more than they love me about zero-point-three seconds after I tell them we're having a baby."_

 _We can hope._ "All right, whatever. I'll see you in a bit. Bye."

" _Bye, Bella."_

The call clicked off, and Bella turned to face her little brother. "Have you got everything? Gym kit, lunch, homework…? I mean, you're outta luck if you haven't, but I can at least warn Mom ahead of time that she'll get a bitchy call."

Alec smirked and shook his head, hoisting his backpack up onto his shoulder as he opened the door. "Nah, I've got everything. See you later, B. Good luck with the Cullens. Don't die, though; I want my nephew."

"Oh, so that's all I'm good for, huh? Giving you your nephew?"

With a shrug, Alec disembarked and then poked his head back in before closing the door. "I guess you're good for beating at _COD._ "

"Get out of here, baby brother. Be good! Love you!"

He slammed the door and took off like his butt was on fire, leaving Bella grinning at his back as she started the car and peeled out of the parking lot, shaking her head at his parting comments – she never had liked _Call of Duty._ She could never concentrate on everything at once; moving the character took all of her concentration without having to worry about shooting people, being shot at, and attempting to ignore her brothers' shenanigans. They always tried to distract her.

The drive over to JBs took longer than it should have because of the school run traffic, so Bella hurried inside huffing and puffing.

"Whoa, girl! What's got you all in a rush?" Jake laughed when she panted her way to a stool at the bar.

Wide-eyed, Bella scowled. "You, you jackass! 'Urgent staff meeting,' your text said."

Jake looked at Rebecca as she entered the bar carrying one-year-old JB Junior. "Did you put 'urgent' in the text to B?"

She frowned, "yeah…you told me to."

"What's all this 'urgent' shit, then?" Rachel slammed her way into the bar, her signature bangles jingling on her way over. She noticed the baby then, flashing pearly white teeth in a wide smile as he reached out with grabby hands for her sparkly jewelry. Rachel never went anywhere without at least thirty bracelets on each wrist and some combination of piercings – today, she had her ears completely decorated in rose gold loops, stones, and spirals, her nose ring in, and a bar in her right eyebrow. "Hey, little man. You talkin' yet?"

"Baba rahrah noo!" JB Junior cried happily, slapping his hands together and blowing a spit bubble.

"I guess that answers that," Rachel cackled cheerily, slumping into the stool beside a smiling Bella. "Hey, girl. How you doing? A little birdy tells me you're knocked up…"

Bella's mouth fell open, her eyes widening, " _who_ told you?"

Rachel waved a dismissive hand. "Oh, nobody. My stepsister came home going on and on about this guy from work who knocked up some girl from a bar. She mentioned JBs, and I kinda put two and two together. So, it's true, then?"

At this point, Bella was raging. The only person it could be was Carlisle's friend, Angela – also the maybe-girlfriend-slash-fuckbuddy.

She was also fully aware that Jake and Rebecca were looking at her wide wide-eyed, with confused expressions.

"B? Is it true? Are you…pregnant?"

Bella bit her lip, reaching into the purse at her feet. In lieu of a verbal answer, she set the scan picture from three days ago onto the counter.

Rebecca cheered her congratulations, rounding the bar to hug Bella. JB Junior gave her his own version of a congratulations complete with a drooly almost-kiss on the nose and a fist full of soggy _Cheerios_. Jake was a little quieter, but no less sincere.

"Congrats, B. I'm happy for you. I mean, you're happy, right?"

Bella gazed at the image of her baby, her Bean, and smiled. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm happy. It's nowhere near how I expected to become a mom, but it is what it is."

Rachel huffed a sigh, picking black nail polish from her fingernails. "So, who's your baby daddy? He a regular?"

 _Shit._

"Uh, not really. He's been in a few times, I guess." Meeting Jake's eyes, Bella asked, "do you remember the guy who left his wallet here? Uh, around August time?"

It only took a second for the realization to light Jake's dark eyes. "It was him? The wallet guy?"

"Ah, yeah."

Suddenly, Rachel was guffawing. "Oh my God…" she wheezed. "You did it here, didn't you? This is a JBs baby?" She pointed to the sonogram image as Bella's cheeks flamed. "This is why you were so insistent I didn't need to come help clean up that morning, isn't it? You didn't want me to come here and realize what you'd been up to!"

Jake looked green while Rebecca wore an embarrassed but amused smile. Rachel couldn't stop cackling and asking where 'it' had happened, even as Bella mumbled that she had somewhere to be and excused herself.

"It was in the office, wasn't it? Oh, oh! Please tell me it was on the bar!"

"Jesus, Rach…don't be so gross," Jake muttered, adding, "Hon, we need to bleach the shit outta this bar," as Bella escaped.

It wasn't until she was already in the car and heading toward the address Carlisle had sent her that Bella realized Jake and Rebecca hadn't gotten to give her their 'urgent-not-urgent' news.

"Oh, if it's really urgent, they'll call," she muttered, following the Satnav's directions.

It very quickly became clear that Bella wasn't heading for just any neighborhood – she was heading for one of the most sought-after, expensive neighborhoods in the city.

"Holy shit…"

" _You have arrived at your destination."_

Bella rolled to a stop, peering out at the monstrosity through the window.

Well, it wasn't a monstrosity at all, really. It was gorgeous. In fact, it looked like something out of the English countryside with its neatly preened lawn and flowerbeds, pale blue shutters on the windows, and a thatched roof. Not to mention the gorgeous Bentley over by the garage and the Lexus to Bella's left; her mom's SUV had never looked more out of place.

A tap on her window made Bella jump so high she bumped her head on the roof. Carlisle was doubled over laughing when she scowled and threw the car door open, rubbing the now-sore spot on the top of her head.

"Asshole," she muttered, hitting him with her purse. "Sudden frights are bad for Bean, you know."

Carlisle schooled his expression and tried to calm himself, straightening up with an _almost_ apologetic smile. "You're right, I'm sorry. You looked so lost in daydream land, I couldn't help it." He peered at the large house in front of them. "It's a bit much, isn't it?"

"Ah, a little? Who lives here, anyway? The Queen of England and the entire royal family?"

After closing her car door, Carlisle looped an arm around Bella's shoulders and gently guided her up the stepping stone path toward the porch. "Mom and Dad inherited it from Grandpa and Grandma Cullen. They had a bunch of kids – Dad is one of seven – but Mom and Dad only have my brother, Emmett, and me. It was great growing up here, and I guess I always thought they'd downsize once we left, but they stayed." His eyes gleamed as he tipped his face toward her, grinning. "Mom says it's so she has room for all their hobbies, but I think she just wants to fill it with grandchildren."

Bella smiled and shook her head, looking down at her feet as they walked; his eyes were too intense, too happy and playful and pretty for her to concentrate even on something as simple as walking. With Bean on board, she couldn't afford to be her usual, clumsy self.

"So, it's just your parents today?"

Carlisle hummed. "Yeah. My brother and sister-in-law are in Boca until next Friday. Oh…so, I guess it'll be my niece and nephew, too."

Before Bella could ask any more questions, they arrived on the front stoop and the door opened, almost like someone had been waiting on the other side.

The woman staring back at her wasn't what Bella had expected. She'd pictured a fair-haired woman with Carlisle's light eyes and kind smile. Instead, she had dark hair pinned back in a chignon, hazel eyes in a slightly wrinkled but relaxed face, and wore a small, albeit tight, half-smile.

"Mom, this is Bella Swan. Bella, this is my mom, Elizabeth Cullen."

 _C'mon, Swan. Big girl panties at the ready._

"Mrs. Cullen, it's a pleasure to meet you."

"Elizabeth, dear. You can call me Elizabeth. It's lovely to meet you." Her eyes darted to her son as she shook Bella's proffered hand. "I'd like to say we've heard a lot about you, but I'm afraid I only heard about you a few days ago."

Frowning and ignoring a sting of confused hurt, Bella glanced up at Carlisle's pinched expression before plastering a smile back on her face. "I've caught you at a disadvantage, then. Carlisle's told me a lot about you. He has a lot of wonderful things to say about you, Mrs.—I mean, _Elizabeth_."

This seemed to please Elizabeth; she smiled a true smile, and her rigid posture relaxed as she stepped aside to let Carlisle lead Bella inside. He squeezed her around the shoulders, steering her through the fancy foyer into a sitting room to the right. There, they found his father.

"Dad, I'd like you to meet Bella. Bella, this is my dad, Anthony Cullen."

Right away, Bella noticed something…different, about Anthony Cullen. He stood from the armchair where he'd been watching the driveway – Bella abruptly realizing he must have seen his son scare her and her subsequent purse beating – and flashed them a grin before raising his hands and twisting them in intricate, too-fast-to-take-in movements.

Carlisle didn't seem to have any trouble taking them in, though; he chuckled. "He says, 'it's a pleasure to meet you, beautiful Bella.'"

 _He's signing…_

"I don't…"

Carlisle released her to sign something back to his dad; Bella watched his hands move with fascination as he said the words as he signed them. "Don't give me a chance to explain things, then. Just jump right in with the signing, Pop."

Anthony laughed, lowering his hands. "You're welcome, Son."

His words were a little stilted, but he had a warm voice and a kind smile – Carlisle's kind smile. He crossed the room and drew Bella into his arms, smelling of Old Spice and soap. Bella relaxed into him with a smile, then deliberately mouthed her words as she said them, hoping her intuition wasn't leading her astray.

"The pleasure is mine, Mr. Cullen. I'm excited to meet you after Carlisle had such lovely things to say about you both."

The joy on Anthony's face made it clear Bella had been right to forego asking Carlisle to translate for her; clearly, he could read lips just fine, possibly even hear a little bit. It wasn't something she felt comfortable asking, but at least she could communicate with him without having to go through Carlisle.

"None of that 'Mr. Cullen,' please. 'Anthony' or 'Ant' will do. Mr. Cullen was my father, and he was a miserable shit—"

" _Anthony!_ " Elizabeth exclaimed, drawing a rueful chuckle and a wink from her husband.

As she left the room to make some coffee, Anthony whispered loudly, "but he _was_. Absolutely insufferable."

Bella giggled and looked up at Carlisle, who was nodding. "It's true. He was a grouch, but having seven kids and Grandma Cullen to deal with…"

Anthony and Carlisle shared a laugh as Bella stepped out of Anthony's arms and let the warmth of the father and son's amusement melt away her nerves.

 _This is…nice. More comfortable than expected._

When Elizabeth returned a few minutes later with a tray of coffee, Bella realized…

"You can't drink that…" Carlisle mumbled when he caught her wide-eyed, pointed look. "Okay, here goes—"

"Unca Wile!"

The coffees were forgotten the instant two, fair-haired tornadoes whirled into the room, smashing into their uncle's legs. He grinned, crouching to scoop them both into his arms before standing and turning to Bella. She couldn't help but smile at the beautiful twins and the glorious smile they elicited from their uncle with just their presence.

"Henry, Vera, this is my friend, Bella. Can you say, 'hi?'"

The little boy – Henry – smiled shyly and waved, mumbling his 'hi, Miss Bewwa.'

Vera, however, was more confident than her twin. She scrambled down from Carlisle's hold and barreled over to Bella, peering up at her. She had the biggest, bluest eyes Bella had ever seen.

"Hi, Bewwa. Are you havin' cake wiff us? Nana, is Bewwa havin' cake wiff us?"

Elizabeth smiled at her granddaughter and nodded. "If Bella wants cake, she's more than welcome to have some." Her hazel eyes found Bella's. "Would you like some? It's homemade – lemon drizzle."

Bella's stomach gave an appreciative growl; her cheeks immediately flamed red, while the children erupted into giggles and Carlisle barked a chuckle. Anthony looked between his family members and Bella with a bemused frown.

"Gwandpa, Bewwa's got gwowly tigers in her belly!" Henry chortled, his chubby cheeks dimpled with his smile.

"Aha," Anthony mouthed, smirking – he looked so very like his son at that moment. "Well, we'd better get her some cake, then, huh?"

Henry nodded seriously, clambering down to join his twin. They each took one of Bella's hands and tugged her over to the sofa as Elizabeth left the room, promising to return with cake to feed the growly tigers.

Carlisle perched on the edge of the sofa, frowning.

"What's wrong?" Bella asked quietly.

"They're hogging you," he mumbled, nodding toward the twins.

Bella smiled and shook her head, willing her fire-engine-red cheeks to cool down.

Thankfully, when Elizabeth returned, the children had distracted Bella with talk of toy cars and Barbie dolls, so her mortification had died a little. She accepted a slice of homemade lemon drizzle cake and managed to swallow her groan when she tasted the first, orgasmic bite.

Carlisle's eyes glinted with humor; clearly, he could read her very well.

"So, Carlisle, how did you and Bella meet? Do you work at the hospital, dear?" Elizabeth asked once they'd all tucked into the cake and coffee. Well, all except the children, who were drinking juice from their blue and pink sippy cups.

They'd already discussed this – the 'how we met' story. Carlisle had explained that his parents were a little more on the traditional side, so they'd agreed to say that they'd met through mutual friends.

They'd also agreed to lie about the timeline.

"We met a couple of years back, Mom. We were both at a mutual friend's dinner party."

Elizabeth's eyebrows climbed a little higher on her forehead. "Oh?"

The _so why am I only meeting her now?_ as plain as day on her face and in her tone. Bella bit her tongue and mournfully stared at her now-empty plate.

 _I wonder if they'd notice if I licked the plate…_

"…we actually have some news, Mom. Uh, pretty big news."

Bella's eyes darted up to Carlisle. He had a small smile playing on his lips as he reached around Vera to squeeze Bella's hand; an action which didn't go unnoticed by his mom's beady gaze.

"Oh? That sounds…ominous."

Her eyes caught Anthony's; he left the armchair to join his wife on the loveseat, linking their fingers together as Carlisle inhaled a deep breath and pulled the twelve-week sonogram image from the pocket of his leather jacket, resting it face-down on his thigh so he could sign for his dad.

"Mom, Dad…Bella and I are having a baby."

Elizabeth let out a soft squeak, her eyes bouncing between Carlisle, the image on his knee, Bella's face, and her stomach. "You are?"

Bella wasn't sure where the older woman's thoughts were. She sounded excited, but her face wasn't giving anything away, and she was white-knuckling the mug in her hand so hard Bella was concerned it was going to break and cut her hands to ribbons.

Carlisle huffed a relieved sigh, an _it's out there now_ sort of sigh, and nodded. "We are. She's twelve weeks along. We had a scan on Saturday; we just waited to tell you, in case, well…you know."

For the longest moment, nobody said a word.

Then…

Anthony crowed a cheer, leaving his wife to draw his son up for a hug. He slapped him on the back, only pulling back to cradle his face like a father with a small child rather than a grown man. "Congratulations, my boy. This is wonderful news. Another grandchild…wow."

Before Bella could react or read the myriad of fluctuating emotions on Elizabeth's face, she was receiving the same treatment as Carlisle.

Anthony had her up and in his arms, then cradled her face just like he had his son's. He had tears in his pale blue eyes and a huge, dimpled smile; he was where Carlisle had gotten his grin, she realized.

"Congratulations, sweetheart. How are you feeling?"

Bella placed a hand on her tiny bump, smiling. "Thank you, Anthony. I'm actually doing okay. I had a lot of morning sickness at first, but it's getting better every—"

"My baby's having a baby?" Elizabeth breathed, apparently finally coming to her senses. Carlisle chuckled and sat beside her on the sofa, scooping the sonogram image from the floor where it had fallen when Anthony pulled him up. He held it in front of Elizabeth, pointing out Bean's nose, arms, and legs.

"He was kicking up a storm on Saturday," he told her with a proud grin.

"'He?' You can tell that already?"

"No," Carlisle admitted ruefully, shooting a wink Bella's way. "Bella has a hunch, and I kinda believe her."

Elizabeth sighed breathily and stroked the grainy image of her grandchild as Bella held her breath and crossed her fingers behind her back, Anthony looping his arm around her back to wait for his wife's reaction.

They didn't have to wait long.

"Oh, my word…my baby is having a baby! Anthony, can you believe it? Our baby is having a _baby_!" Elizabeth's smile was a mile-wide and blinding in its intensity. She jumped up, clutching the image in her hand as she hugged Bella hard and let out an almost delirious laugh before pulling back to gaze into Bella's eyes. "You're having my grandbaby?"

Bella nodded with a relieved smile. "Yes, I am."

Though Bella had been worried, Elizabeth's ensuing squeal and excited chatter for the rest of her visit put her mind well and truly to rest.

 _That's the first part done._

 _Just the brother and sister-in-law to go._


	9. Announcement (not a chap sorry)

**Hey, guys!**

 **So, as you can see, this is not a chapter update. I've decided to take a couple/few weeks to work on Promises to Keep and get that wrapped up, and then I'll come back to this. It's harder than expected keeping up with two stories, especially as neither set of characters are talking to me at the moment *pointed look at uncooperative muse***

 **Also, a helpful guest reviewer has pointed out that I've made a couple of errors with ages here. The reason for that is pretty simple, but I'm still bummed I didn't catch it myself. When I decided to expand this from a O/S, I messed around with their ages and whatnot, but I didn't change them in some of my planning documents, so when I've started writing some of the ages aren't quite lining up.**

 **So, with that in mind, I'm going to put a temporary hold on this and come back to it when I can dedicate all my time and attention to fixing those errors and continuing the story. I never want to post anything bad, and I hate that I've neglected parts of this, so I think this is the best way to sort it.**

 **I hope you understand, and I hope to see you back when we resume posting, but I understand if you'd rather not wait.**

 **Thank you for being so awesome! xo**


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